The Black Wolf and The White Swan
by Ginevra Magdalene Katnis Eaton
Summary: Bella leaves Forks at the beginning of New Moon when Charlie wants her to and returns to her home in Arizona where she starts a normal human life until she moves back to Forks years later.
1. Chapter 1

It had been about seven years since I had entered Forks, though I had been once in that time for my father's wedding to Sue Clearwater who lived on the La Push Reservation and was the widow of Charlie's good friend Harry. I had been a bridesmaid at the wedding along with Sue's daughter and my now step-sister, Leah Clearwater, who wasn't very happy about her mother remarrying. However, the wedding had been in La Push so I didn't really enter the village that much. That was three years ago, when I was twenty-one and at that point he had been my only family left since Renee and Phil had been killed in a car accident the year before. Only, that is, apart from my daughter, who, at that time, had been only three years of age.

When Edward left me not long after my 18th birthday, Charlie had insisted that I go to Phoenix to get away from it all and I had gone without an argument even though, over time, Forks had grown on me, there were too many bad memories there to continue living in the location. So I left to live with my mother. Within in a year, I had made the biggest mistake of my life: falling for a bad guy who pretended to be good. Seemed to be the story of my life: falling in love with the wrong people. It was actually just before my nineteenth birthday that he had forced me to sleep with him. It was against my will and when I told my mother, she had him arrested for rape. Although, the biggest mistake I could have done so soon after my heartbreak by Edward Cullen, it gave me the greatest gift: my daughter. Elsee Belle Swan, a name that I spelt with two 'e's rather than the typical 'ie' for my mothers 'Renee.' The name had also remind me of Esme Cullen's name who I still thought of as a mother since Renee was much more of a friend than a parent and whom I felt the need to honour.

Now, I was returning to the place I had avoided so much since I was eighteen for the loss of my last parent. I felt so sorry for Sue, who had now been widowed by both her husbands and for having such a short time with one of them, who was actually quite young. Charlie had only been forty-seven but his diet, one both Sue and I had tried to mend, had finally caught up with him, causing a heart attack. From what Sue told me, he had been home alone and he was dead by the time anyone found him. Seth, my nineteen-year-old step-brother, being the one that eventually did. I couldn't bear to leave poor Sue to arrange a second funeral so I promised her I'd come up from Phoenix where I still lived and arrange it, hence why I was now entering the boundaries of Forks with my little six-year-old at my side, bouncing around in her seat at the new surroundings.

I pulled up at the old house, which had been extended over the years, in a matter of minutes, it seemed quiet though it always had. I smiled as I noticed no one was already at the door because, since my truck had died years ago, they now had no warning as to when I was arriving. It was a different thing to have to knock on the door to places where I used to be met outside of: Jake's house was definitely strange.

'Bells!' Seth yelled as he opened the door to me and Elsee, sweeping me literally up in a hug because that boy was far to buff for his own good and sometimes made me wonder if he was on steroids, though I wondered that about all the Quileute boys I had met, before spinning Elsee around causing her to yelp, 'uncle Seth!': he was a fantastic uncle. 'How are you? It's been so long!'

'Yeah,' I laughed. 'Three years and have you gotten taller?'

Seth, my five year younger step-brother, was towering above me since he be at least 6 foot now, just as Jacob was beginning to do before I left. It was crazy the way these boys grew and, from what I remember, the amount they ate. Quil and Embry, friends of Jacobs who I had met, where exactly the same. Or maybe it was Quileute because the last time I had seen Leah, she was unnaturally tall and seemed to have more defined muscles and they all - Seth, Leah, Jake, Embry and Quil - seemed to run a high temperature, almost like a fever though I'd never bothered to ask why.

'Oh joy,' I heard Leah's voice inside as Seth chuckled and nodded at my question. 'Bella's here.'

Seth and I both rolled our eyes as I heard Sue scold her - Leah hadn't changed her opinion of me, though I hadn't given her much of a chance to having only come around on the wedding and now.

'Bella, it's so good to see you, you look well' Sue said as she appeared in the door, hugging me tightly, 'and Elsee, you've grown up so beautifully.'

'Thank you, Sue,' Elsee smiled up at her step-grandmother and, though I was biased, I agreed that Elsee was beautiful: she had prominent cheek bones, large eyes (the same colour as mine) and long, thick blonde hair that seemed messy no matter how many times I brushed it or what I did to it - most the time, we ended up tying it in a ponytail. Elsee was a lot like me with hair and makeup even though she was only six.

'What are we doing?' Sue suddenly gasped. 'Come in! Come in!'

I smiled at her and ushered Elsee through the door. Sue seemed to be doing fine and that made me feel a lot better. She seemed sad but still her normal, upbeat self that I knew was so strong and could face anything: she had raised Seth and Leah after all.

Although Seth was the age to be at College, neither of the Clearwater's had gone for a reason I was never told and didn't really understand why since I had gone with a young child but it was their decision and I wasn't about to dispute it especially if Sue wasn't.

'Thank you so much for coming up, Bella,' Sue was saying to me as we entered the kitchen which I noticed had finally been repainted from when my mother had lived here, in fact a few things and I was glad, it proved my dad had gotten over my mum, although his marriage proved it as well. 'I know this place doesn't have the greatest memories.'

'It's fine,' I beamed. 'I'm glad to help in anyway I can; I can deal with a few bad memories.'

There was a silence where all three seemed to want to say something to me but felt they shouldn't causing the tension to rise slightly, another reason I had kept my distance from my dad's new family: I always felt like they were keeping a big secret from me.

'I think I'm going to go down to La Push, if you don't mind,' I told them, wondering if Sue wanted to start planning as soon as possible to get it all out the way. 'See Jake and just … just find my bearings here again and then we can start whenever you like.'

'Good,' Sue sighed and I noticed she looked relieved. 'I thought you might want to start straight away so you could get out the village again.'

'I'm not that desperate,' I grinned and kissed her cheek. 'I'll see you later, okay?'

'Of course,' Sue smiled, patting my hand.

I pushed myself from where I'd perched at the table. I said goodbye, hugging Leah awkwardly in a hello and a goodbye before leading Elsee back out of the house.


	2. Chapter 2

La Push looked exactly the same as it had at the wedding but the small community of La Push rarely did. The same little red houses, the shops and resorts, the first beach … nothing seemed to have changed. Jake still lived with his father, Billy, because his diabetes had gotten worse a while back so Jacob had insisted that he stay living with him. They were my main reason for visiting La Push.

'Hello Bella,' Billy grinned as he opened the door to his house and without warning Elsee climbed on his lap. 'Oh and hello, Elsee.'

I laughed lightly, reaching down to hug him, 'it's nice to see you, Billy. I'm sorry I haven't been up to see you.'

'Nonsense,' his deep voice chuckled as he wheeled himself back and allowed me in since Elsee was still perched on his lap - surprising happy since I wasn't sure she even remembered him. 'You've been busy with school and Elsee I suppose?'

'Mummy's going to be a teacher,' Elsee told him proudly and Billy looked at me surprised and, yet, not at the same time as I took a seat on their old sofa.

'Really?' he asked intrigued and I smiled though inside I was shocked that Charlie hadn't told Billy this bit of information considering how much to two of them had gossiped.

'Literature,' I told him smiling and he nodded impressed.

'Now that I can see,' he smiled at me, giving my hand a squeeze. 'You'd be wonderful at it.'

'Well, let's hope so,' I grinned nervously, 'because I start at Forks High on Monday.'

This bit of information did shock him and I knew why: he wasn't expecting me to be around long enough to need a job.

'You'll be staying for a while then?' he said happily and I smiled at him.

'Not really,' I said. 'This is kind of a trial week, if I like it here and if I feel happy in Forks High School, then yes, we'll be here for a while.'

'Jake will be ecstatic!' Billy exclaimed and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes: he was still trying to get Jake and I together after all these years.

'I'm sure he will,' I smiled: ecstatic to have his friend back.

'He's down at the beach,' Billy told me and I felt my smile widen to an amused grin. 'You should go see him.'

'The beach!' Elsee exclaimed, staring at me pleadingly.

'Fine,' I smiled picking her up of Billy's lap. 'I'll see you later, Billy.'

'Sure, sure,' he said and I grinned, swopped down and kissed his cheek causing him to grunt (just like Charlie would have) and left the small house.

It wasn't a long walk down to the beach so I let Elsee run ahead slightly as long as she stayed in my sight. It was a nice day, probably the last one since it was getting to the end of September, so the beach car park was full and the beach full with laughing visitors and residents. I noticed a group of local boys - noticeable for their russet coloured skin - huddled around a fire, laughing probably the loudest out of everyone on the beach. I tried to pick Jacob out but they all looked so similar with their cropped black hair that they could have brothers. I made my way toward them anyway, feeling slightly awkward for interrupting, deciding that Jacob probably was in the six boys somewhere. As I made my way over there, I grabbed Elsee's hand so she didn't wander off.

'Well, well, well,' one of the boys said and even from his voice I knew it wasn't Jacob, though his next statement confirmed it. 'Look who it is, Jake, Isabella Swan.'

'Bella,' Elsee corrected for me causing everyone one including myself to laugh expect one boy who was staring out into the forest.

Another one stepped forward from the group and this close I could tell it was Jacob.

'Hey, Jake,' I said with grin. 'You remember Elsee?'

'How could I forget?' he asked wrapping me in one of his bear hugs which he knew made it difficult to breathe before kneeling down by Elsee. 'Hey, Else, you've gotten bigger - do you remember me?'

'Uncle Jake,' Elsee said with a bit of hesitation and Jacob sent me a triumphant look. 'And, of course, I've gotten bigger: it's been three years.'

There was a collective 'ohh' from the boys and I giggled slightly as Jacob blanched at Elsee. I glanced at the other boys from the reservation, picking out Embry, who was almost as tall as Jacob, and that boy must be around seven foot now, though he was slender, and Quil, who was shorter but more muscular, easily since Quil winked at me with his impish grin and Embry smiled while the rest remained rather bland and reserved.

'Oh, Bells,' Jake said standing up and hoisting Elsee into his arms. 'You remember Quil and Embry' (he paused allowing them to greet me properly) 'but this is Paul' - he pointed to a boy who was shorter than him but leaner than Quil - 'Jared' - he was tall and muscular but not as much as Jacob - 'and sitting there like a recluse is Sam, you'll probably remember him.'

The last bit was muttered darkly and I knew he was referring to the night Edward had left me and Sam had found me in the woods carrying me back to Charlie. Sam turned and it seemed like he was just going to nod and turn around again but something stopped him. He had a similar build to Jacob, the same cropped black hair, and russet skin but when his deep brown eyes met mine they seemed to get trapped. I sent him a smile, trying to ignore the sudden pulling feeling I felt towards him, not noticing the wide eyed glance that Jacob had given him.

'Bella,' Jacob said catching my attention and I turned to where he was playing with Elsee with her still in his arms. 'I think you should go for a walk with Sam.'

I noticed Sam tense out the corner of my eyes and I frowned wondering why Jacob wanted me to go on a walk with a guy I had only met once and had never spoke to though part of me really wanted to. However, I saw Sam getting out of his seat on the log and walking towards us.

'That's probably a good idea,' he said and at the sound of his deep voice butterflies erupted in my stomach and I couldn't understand why.

'I'll watch Elsee,' Jacob grinned at us though he seemed slightly put out. 'it'd be nice to have some time with my niece-of-sorts.'

I debated it internally before deciding that it wouldn't hurt to hear Sam out because obviously he wanted to say something to me, or Jacob wanted him to say something to me, and Elsee would be fine with Jake, Quil and Embry.

'Okay,' I agreed and everyone's, excluding Elsee's, eyebrows raised. 'It's what you wanted, right?'

I added the last bit in annoyance before turning back to Jacob, 'and do be careful.'

'Always am,' he replied solemnly because he knew how much Elsee meant to me: he would allow no harm to come to her under his protection, I knew.


	3. Chapter 3

'So,' I said awkwardly as Sam and I set off down the beach, drawing the world out. 'I assume there's something you want to say to me though I can't imagine why…'

Sam glanced at me, said nothing, and continued walked; his message clear: not yet when we get further away. We wandered further away to where the beach was almost empty and we sat at a piece of driftwood Jacob and I had sat on many times. Sam was silent for a few minutes seeming to struggle with what he wanted to say and I had the urge to reach out and take his hand as some form of comfort. Not being able to hold myself back, I reach over and almost pulled right back again since his skin was so hot - another Quileute who ran hot but this time I was going to get some answers.

'Are you okay?' I asked genuinely extremely worried that this man that I'd only ever met once was ill: the idea seemed like physical pain and I knew that wasn't right. 'You're burning up: do you need to go see a doctor?'

'No, I'm fine,' he said softly looking down at our still joined hands: his heat wasn't uncomfortable, it was actually vaguely nice to have the warmth. Sam seemed to steel himself and smiled. 'I'm a wolf.'

My mind immediately jumped to the Cullens but I forced them out, 'what?'

'I'm a shape-shifter,' he said with such honesty it was difficult not to believe him. 'It's a Quileute thing, it's genetic and I can turn into a wolf whenever I want.'

I laughed lightly, 'you expect me to believe that you're a werewolf?'

'Yes,' he said, his eyes boring into mine. 'I do because you have history with supernatural beings.'

My eyes widened marginally, 'I don't know what you mean.'

I didn't know why I was still so adamant of protecting them when someone else already seemed to know but I automatically became defensive.

'The Cullens,' Sam said slowly, still staring at me and I found my resolve to finish this conversation as soon as possible begin to waver as I started to become lost in his dark brown eyes, 'are vampires. I know you know and so I do because I _am_ a werewolf. Killing vampire's is what I'm made to do … not them' - he added when my eyes widened again - 'but other vampires. Come with me.'

I followed the irritating, far too knowledgeable man into the forest almost without a thought: he may have been all those things but I trusted him explicably and every step he took away from me seemed rather painful. He led us into the forest where he told me to stay and disappeared behind a tree.

'Sam?' I called out when I heard a slightly growing from the area where he disappeared.

I gasped as a huge black wolf came out. It was huge, tall as a horse, but a lot more muscular and for its weight moved so quietly, like a shadow. I unknowingly backed up until I hit a tree but a worried noise for the wolf made me realise what Sam had been saying. I studied the wolf further and looked into his eyes. Relaxing instantly, I noticed they were far to intelligent for an animal and that they were the exact shade of Sam's - it worried me that I already knew that.

'Sam?' I asked stepping forward and I reaching out a hand, he nuzzled into it in what I think was acknowledgement. I stroked his midnight black fur, I soft smile on my face, giggling when he started humming slightly in a way that almost sounded like purring. 'Go change, I need to talk to you.'

It was odd to see a monstrous wolf randomly following my instructions as Sam disappeared behind a tree. He appeared quickly, I noticed that all he had been wearing, and was still wearing, was a pair of shorts. He didn't even have any shoes on but I suppose that had something to do with being a wolf.

'Okay,' I said, stepping toward him onto more level ground. 'Why are you telling me this?'

'Because,' Sam took a deep breathe, 'have you even heard of imprinting?'

'No,' I shook my head quickly.

'Imprinting's kind of a love at first sight sort of thing in short though it's _not _really, it's so much stronger,' Sam began to explain and once again I was completely confused as to why he was divulging the information to me. 'Jake likes to describe it as gravity moves, "it not gravity holding the wolf to the earth anymore, it's her" .Wolves see their soul-mate and they just know and they'd do anything for her, be anything for her. Such as Quil imprinted on a two year old so he's more of a brother figure to her but as she grows that will change into romantic.'

'Wait Jacob? Quil?' I asked and then gasped in realisation. 'How many of you Quileute's are wolves?'

'The eight of us,' Sam replied. 'Me, Jared, Paul, Jacob, Quil, Embry … and Seth and Leah.'

'Seth and Leah!'

'That's what you're thinking about right now?' Sam asked exasperatedly and I smiled sheepishly.

'Yeah.'

'Bella, I imprinted on_ you_,' Sam said bluntly and I just stared at him for a while, hoping that the words would change themselves to something more normal in my head.

'M-me?' I stuttered badly, thinking I had had enough of supernatural to last me a life time: I didn't need to have my destiny decided for me by more magic. '_You_ imprinted on _me_? _Why?_'

Sam chuckled and reached a burning hand forward to brush a stray stand of hair back towards my scruffy ponytail, 'imprinting doesn't have reasons … at least, not a reason know to us.'

He was staring at me hopefully as though hoping I wouldn't reject him which, oddly enough, was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn't want to fight the pull imprinting had on me towards him but if he only liked me, love was too big a word right now, because of imprinting, that was a different matter. He seemed to know what I was thinking because he spoke again.

'Please, don't believe that all of this is just because of imprinting,' Sam said pleadingly and I glanced up at him from where I had been staring at the ground in thought. 'Embry's been joking for months that I would imprint on you if I met you again, saying that we were absolutely perfect.'

I frowned, 'why doesn't imprinting happen the first time you met someone?'

Sam shrugged at me.

'Sometimes it does, most the time it does,' he said. 'Sometimes, though rarely, it doesn't.'

I sighed, pressing my hands over my face and wondering where this conversation was going to end.

'Can I think?' I asked slowly and slightly panicked. 'I have Elsee to think about and a lot of other stuff. I need to think, to wrap my head _back _around magic and supernatural beings.'

Sam nodded though he looked slightly pained and a pang went through me at the thought of causing him the slightest bit of pain but I refused to jump straight back into a relationship again because, from experience, it always ended badly and I wouldn't put Elsee though that even if Sam said it was 'Soul-Mates.'


	4. Chapter 4

'Elsee, come on, we're going!' I called as I walked back over by myself, Sam having stayed behind for reason I didn't want to think about.

'But we just got here!' my six-year-old moaned at the same time as Jacob asked, 'what happened?' and the rest asked, 'where's Sam?'

'No arguments, young lady,' I told Elsee sternly. 'Nothing happened, Jacob, and Sam's in the forest.'

With that said, I tugged on Elsee's hand which I had taken in my last sentence and led the way back through La Push to my car. As we walked away from the beach, I saw Sam's eyes on my from the car park which he had somehow gotten to quicker than we had and I could feel his eyes burning into my back as I took painful steps away from him.

For the next few days, Sam was all I could think about even as I tried to plan my father's funeral which we decided would be held in a matter of weeks. The Quileute wolves were invited because apparently they had become close to Charlie in the years I had been away: probably because my step-siblings were wolves something I was still trying to wrap my head around. I was sure Seth would try and help me if I told him I knew but I hadn't mentioned it to anyone. Sometimes Seth and Leah gave me looks as though they wanted to say something but couldn't and it beginning to put me on edge. I needed to make a decision on Sam, one because it was causing me pain to stay away from him and two because I couldn't put it off forever.

I had two choices really: either risk my heart and try with Sam or run. I tried not to factor Elsee into the equation afraid that I would use her as an excuse to stay away from him because if everything worked out she would be over the moon to have a father, to have two parents completely in love - it was her dream and I knew it. And besides, nothing had screamed DANGER with Sam expect for the fact that he was a wolf who could probably kill you as soon as look at you - though he seemed to have control over his actions while in that form unlike the storybook werewolves - but then again, nothing had seemed dangerous about Elsee's father, who had seemed so sweet and kind and loyal before turning out to be a complete waste of time. Then there was the fact that Sam had said imprinting was "soul-mates," of course, that didn't mean it wouldn't be hard but it meant it was meant to be, that it wouldn't end in complete heartbreak because we were "made for each other"

I rubbed my eyes as I lay in my teenage bedroom which was now a guestroom.

'Seth!' I called, knowing he was only across the hall and that he and I were the only ones home, Leah had gone to La Push and Sue had taken Elsee out to take her mind off of things.

'Yeah, Bells?' he called back and I sighed.

'Would you come here, please?' Seth appeared in the doorway of my room and I shook my head slightly as I noticed that, once again, he was wearing nothing but some shorts despite the rapidly cooling weather. He held a toothbrush in his hand and the toothpaste in the other. I giggled lightly. 'Sorry, I didn't realise you were busy.'

'What do you need?' Seth said, grinning and rolling his eyes at me as he placed the objects on the table by the door.

'Can I,' I sighed. 'Can I ask you about -'

'Sam?' Seth asked, his grin growing into an annoyingly knowing expression. 'The Wolves in general? Imprinting? I know everything about what happened.'

'What?' I gasped, jumping up and grasping his arm.

'Yeah, Sam tells us everything,' he said and I groaned. 'I mean he can't help it with us hearing each other's thoughts and all while we're wolves.'

'This just got weirder,' I groaned again sinking back on the bed though I was secretly glad that Sam hadn't actually been telling anyone and that Seth knew, though it was going to take some getting used to that they could hear each other's thoughts. 'But what should I do?'

It's was weird to talk about this with my younger step-brother but I couldn't speak to Leah about it and I didn't want to discuss it with Sue.

'Well that's easy,' Seth chirped as always. 'You give it a shot. He's not going to hurt you like _they _did, Sam's who you're meant to be with that's the good thing about imprinting. Seriously, Bells, Kim seems happy enough, so does Claire, though she's only eight, - they're imprints of Jared and Quil. Besides, it's hurting you both the stay away from each other.'

He stepped forward, kissed my cheek and disappeared again. I sighed: Seth was right, as usual, it was painful to stay away from Sam and the thought of staying away from him completely, of not being with him, was like a knife to the heart. I had to take the risk or I'd probably always wonder if I walked away from true love.

'Where does he live?' I called to Seth and I could hear him chuckle.

'No need to shout,' he yelled back. 'I can hear you just fine and he lives right at the top of the reservation though he probably won't be there: he's on patrol.'

'Well then phase and tell him to met me by Jacob's.'

'Got it.'

I heard him finish brushing his teeth and then disappear out into the forest by the house, one thing I suppose would be quite useful though I was surprised the two Clearwaters didn't stay in La Push most the time. I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for what I was about to do.


	5. Chapter 5

'Bella!' Sam's voice called to me and I looked up from where I was sat in my car, protected against the rain, to where he was standing out in it with nothing, again, but shorts, although this time he was wearing shoes.

'Are you crazy?' I asked, opening the door and pulling out my umbrella. 'You're going to be soaked!'

'Doesn't bother me,' he shrugged as I made my way towards him. 'It's not like I'm going to get ill or something and there's no way I'm going to get cold.'

'Right, werewolf thing' I muttered, stopping in front of him feeling a feeling of relief wash over me as I was now close enough to feel the heat radiating from him. 'Well, it bothers me so can we go somewhere dry?'

Sam grinned and I noticed he was extremely relaxed, probably because Seth told him what I was coming for, and he knew which way I was leaning. He placed a hand on the small of my back causing a shiver to go through me and led me back to my car, slipping the keys out my coat pocket.

'Get in,' he said. 'We'll go back to mine.'

I rolled my eyes but climbed into my own cars passenger seat while Sam took the drivers. It didn't take us long to get to his house but in the time the rain had gotten much worse making me glad I wasn't out in it. Elsee was probably amazed by it since she only saw rain once or twice a year. I smiled to myself.

'What are you thinking about?' Sam asked curiously and I looked over at him, the soft smile still on my face.

'Elsee.'

'She's cute,' Sam chucked and my smile widened as I pictured them together, they wouldn't look at all related but the scene seemed rather perfect to me because it obvious now that, even though Sam hadn't met her really, he adored her already which was something new since every other guy I had dated had been scared off by the fact that I had a daughter. 'So Seth said you wanted to talk to me … and are you really using your step-brother as a messenger?'

'Hey!' I said defensively. 'He said you'd be on patrol … you're alright to be off, right?'

'Yes,' Sam smiled at me. 'I'm Alpha, I can do what I like.'

'Alpha?' I asked though I knew exactly what he meant. 'Wow.'

'So what was it?' he asked, pulling the car to a stop and I took the opportunity to look at where we were rather than answering his question.

It was the furthest area of the reservation from Forks and had a nice view of the sea: one that I could stare out on all day if I had the time. The house was reasonably large, who knows how many times bigger than the Blacks, though it was made out of the same red material. It looked like something out of a western movie with a wooden veranda going along the front of the ground floor and creating a balcony for the first floor. I was in love with it straight away.

Sam didn't push when I didn't answer but got out of the car and came to open my door, helping me out and leading me into the house. I smiled softly, it was a while since I had met someone who did that.

'Okay,' I said once I was sat by his side on a sofa with a mug of hot chocolate in my hands. However, with that said, I couldn't think how to phrase the rest of what I needed to say but Sam grinned in amusement.

'Seth told me,' he smiled and I sighed in relief since it meant I didn't have to say it.

I smiled back up at him, turning to place the mug on the table. Turning back, I wanted to try something which was easy since we were sitting so close. I learnt forward the tiny little bit and pressed my lips to his. I was surprised at my boldness but I had discovered what I wanted to: this was the most meaningful kiss, the best I had ever had. Sam's lips with moving against mine, his lips warm and comforting, his arms moved to wrapped tightly around my waist and pulled me closer towards him. My hands moved from the where they had been resting on his chest to tangling in his hair. We were leaning more onto the sofa in our kissing and Sam, not having a top on, was extremely distracting as he pressed me close to his body. We broke apart to breathe but Sam continued kissing me and I tilted my head slightly without through so he could get to my neck easier. Sam's body was radiating warmth and I felt like my skin was burning in the best way possible. I pulled Sam back to me and continued kissing him while he twisted us so I was kneeling over his body. My hands rose to tuck my hair back behind my ear so it wasn't getting in our way but it wasn't long before I pulled back again, responsibility taking over again. Our kisses continued but slower, more innocent and sweet as we calmed ourselves down. I rolled off him, and he turned on his side so there was room on the sofa for both of us without me literally laying on him though as I lay at his side I rested my head on his chest, listening to his fast heartbeat as we waited for our breathing to slow down that last little bit.

'Please don't make me regret this,' I whispered quietly to him sounding strangely vulnerable.

'Never.'


	6. Chapter 6

The next day he came over to meet Elsee properly and my six-year-old adored him instantly which made me feel like I was making the right decision about him.

Over the next few weeks, our relationship got stronger and stronger and soon I was debating letting him take Elsee while I was at work. My first week in Forks High had been great; there were a few people who recognised me so I had nice talks with them about how things had change, the answer mainly being not much. The teachers were the downside because they still acted like they were my teachers except for the fact I got to call them by their first names which was just completely weird. They welcomed me to their little staff body quickly and easily and, surprisingly, I actually felt at home here.

Soon, far too soon, was my father's funeral: Sue and I cried our eyes out. Sam was there so I had him and Elsee comforting me while Sue had her children. Elsee didn't seem to understand it too much though she did get that fact her grandfather wasn't coming back like Grandma Renee and Phil. I had been debating about taking her to the funeral because it would be sad but she insisted when I explain that I was going to go and say goodbye, there was no talking her out of it - she was too like me in that way.

Sam was me out for dinner tonight, it's been a few weeks since the funeral, and, technically, it was our first official date. Jake was going to take Elsee for the night and I'd pick her up tomorrow but he'd yet to arrive so Elsee was helping me get ready. We were going to a fancy restaurant in Port Angeles and my wardrobe wasn't really equipped for that style of outing - I hadn't been on a fancy date for years. Elsee, as fashion challenged as I was already, wasn't much help so I let her stay downstairs in the lounge and play. I ended up in one of my work pencil skirts, a yellow one, and a nice floating white blouse and, here was the big shook, small white heels.

I heard a knock at the door and hurried down the stairs to open it, expecting it to be Jacob I grabbed Elsee's bag on the way. I opened the door and instead of Jacob, it turned out to be Sam and a large smile spread on my face.

'You're early,' I accused though he was only about a minute before the time we had arranged.

'I'm sorry,' he smiled, leaning forward to kiss my cheek as a let him into the house and he handed me flowers. 'You look beautiful.'

'Thanks,' I said, looking up at him from under my eyelashes. 'You look very handsome - you're wearing a shirt! These are beautiful, by the way, thank you.'

He chuckled and plucked at his shirt, 'amazing, I know.'

I giggled as I led him into lounge to Elsee, who beamed at the sight of him and stretched her arms out for a hug. He willing obliged dropping down to her height, picking her up after he hugged as though she weighed nothing, which I realised to him, she probably didn't. I smiled at them brightly.

'We just need to wait for Jake and then we can go,' I told Sam. 'I'm just going to and put these in water.'

I left him alone with Elsee, knowing they would be perfectly comfortable in each other's company unlike others guys that I had met who constantly looked at me wondering what to do. Sam was completely fine and would have her giggling in minutes. The smile stayed on my lips as I walked back through the hall way and into the kitchen to find a vase. I was about to go back into the other room when the phone rang.

'Swan residence,' I said, picking it up and answering cheerfully.

'Bells?' it was Jacob and I tried to hold in a sigh knowing what he was about to say.

'Something's come up right?' I guessed wondering what I was going to do with Elsee now.

'Sorry, my dad's just had a really bad turn,' Jacob explained sounding weary over the phone and extremely apologetic - he loved spending time with Elsee. 'I don't really think he or you will want Elsee to see that.'

'Is he okay?' I gasped worriedly.

'I'm sure he will be,' Jacob said though he didn't sound so sure. 'I'm sorry, Bells.'

'No, no, it's fine,' I replied hurriedly. 'Take care of Billy, give him my best wishes.'

'Sure, sure. Bye.'

'Bye, Jake.'

I hung up the phone and turned to find Sam in the door was with Elsee In his arms; of course with his advanced hearing he probably heard every word of that.

'I'm so sorry, Sam,' I said really disappointed and his eyebrows rose curiously, apparently though he heard everything he didn't understand why I was sorry. 'I'm going to have to cancel on you, everyone I trust is busy and it's too short a notice to find another babysitter.'

'We could just take her with us,' he suggested, pulling Elsee higher in his arms since she had begun to slip. I tried not to giggle.

'You wanna take my six year old on our date to a fancy restaurant?' I questioned and though I didn't laugh, amusement was clear in my voice.

Sam shrugged, 'why not?'

'She's six,' I replied obviously. 'She'll probably get food everywhere.'

'Sorry,' Elsee said, laughing slightly because she knew she was a mess eater.

Sam chucked and placed her on the ground rubbing the back of his neck while looking down at her but eventually he shrugged again.

'Ah, well, who cares about a bit of mess, besides we don't have to clear it up,' he chuckled and I shook my head: only someone who wasn't a parent would say that.

I walked towards him and Elsee debating it in my head.

'Do you want to come, Else?' her little messy blond head nodded and I looked up at Sam. 'Are you sure?'

'Yeah, positive,' he wrapped an arm around my waist and ruffled Elsee's hair. 'I like this little princess.'

I smiled up at him brightly, 'ok, Else, come and get changed.'

If I was going to take her somewhere nice, she needed to at least look cleaner than she did now. I saw Sam flick his phone out as I took Elsee by the hand and led her out of the room to get change. Sam was probably calling the restaurant to inform them of the changes. I quickly ran a brushed through Elsee's hair and she picked out one of her dresses. She actually looked presentable which, for our little family, was something. We met Sam at the bottom of the stairs and, once I had grabbed my purse, we left.

It took us a while to drive to Port Angeles since Sam drove at the speed limit unlike a certain vampire. Elsee bounced around in the backseat and Sam held my hand as he drove, letting go of it whenever he needed to change gear but besides that he kept a steady grasp on it. He raised it to his mouth once and pressed a kiss against the back of my palm. It's what I loved about Sam, he did sweet, simple things without a thought and with no hesitation and it was those things that made me like him.

It was dark when we pulled in the restaurant's car park and while I got out Sam helped Elsee out of the high car causing me to smile widely. She grasped his hand as they joined me at the other side of the car and once we started walking Elsee grabbed my hand so she was walking in between us. We swung her into the air as we walked toward the restaurant.

'Elsee,' I said kneeling down. 'This is a very nice place so you need to be on your best behaviour for me, okay?'

'Yes, Mummy,' she smiled innocently and I kissed her forehead as I stood up

'Good girl,' I took her hand again and the three of us entered the restaurant.

Dinner went quickly and, surprising, Elsee didn't make too much mess: her peas rolled of her plate, some sauce dripped on the table cloth but besides that the table was vaguely clean and her plate empty. Sam's was as well but that wasn't really a surprise considering how much the wolves ate, I wouldn't honestly be surprised if he was hungry in an hour.

Elsee went to the toilet - she wanted to go alone and since I could see the door (and, having been in there myself, knew there was no windows) I nervously let her after a stern talk about not talking to anyone and coming straight back - and I took Sam's hand over the table, smiling over at him.

'You are so good with her,' I said happily though I kept my eyes fixed on the bathroom, glancing only quickly at his face. 'I'm sorry this isn't exactly what we planned, I know it's not much of a date.'

He grinned I noticed in a glance and rubbed his thumb across the back of my hand.

'She's easy to like. Seriously, Bella, I adore her, really, and it's fine. This is nice,' he squeezed my hand in reassurance. 'Very family-like.'

'And you're okay with that?' I allowed my gaze to sit on him for longer this time before it went back to the door.

'Of course, I love you and I love that little girl,' he assured me.

'I'm sorry,' I sent him a smile. 'Just normally guys -'

'There's nothing normal about this, Belle,' he chuckled as the bathroom door swung open and Elsee appeared out of it. I laughed lightly and agreed wholeheartedly.

We left not long after that and Sam drove us home, we were going to do something else but Elsee was becoming drowsy - Sam had carried her back to the car. It was a long drive for just dinner but neither of us minded. When we got back to the house, my step-family were all asleep so we snuck Elsee up to bed, Sam carrying her again because it was less of a strain for him than me and then I walked him to the door.

'Thank you,' I smiled at him, leaning against the door frame while he stood outside, 'for the date and Elsee and everything. I had fun.'

Sam grinned back at me, 'me too.'

Normally, I had a rule about not kissing guys on the first date but, as Sam had said, we weren't normal and we already had kissed multiple times. Still, I only pecked his cheek. His arm snaked around my waist as I did so and, when I pulled away, it tightened to pull me back to him and he lowered his head to kiss me properly. I allowed my arms to wrap themselves around his neck and pulled myself onto my tiptoes. One of his hands made their way up and tangled in my hair the other keeping me flush against his body. The heat radiating from him was comforting and his kiss intoxication so it took all my strength to pull back, breathing heavily.

'I'll see you soon,' Sam whispered, pressing his forehead against mine. 'I love you, Bella.'

'I love you too,' I told him whispering as well and I felt him jolt slightly, it was the first time I had spoken those words to him though I had implied them plenty of times. His grip tightened and he kissed me again. 'Good night, Sam.'

'Goodnight.'

I watched as he turned and walked back to his car, taking back up my leaning position against the door. I had one of those stupid smiles on my face and I just couldn't seem to get rid of it as he waved and drove off into the darkness. I sighed happily and went back into the house, shutting and locking the door behind me.


	7. Chapter 7

Work today was dragging. There were five new students although they were spread out over different years and I was trying not to think of a certain family that had five children when one of them walked in.

'Hi, Bella,' Alice grinned at me as she paused by on her way to the seat that was usual empty and I felt my stomach dropped and I felt slightly sick.

What were they doing back here? What happened to not coming back to the same place until everyone who may have known them was dead? How could Carlisle have allowed this? Thoughts swirled around my head as the rest of the class filed in, rowdy because it was just before lunch.

'Alright, everyone, settle down,' I said, gesturing for them to take their seats. 'We have a new student today so we'll start with learning something about her.'

I had hated having to do this when I moved to Forks but I knew Alice wouldn't mind, she flittered to the front and stood in front of my desk.

'Ok, I'm Alison Whitlock,' she grinned and I noted she had changed her name the slightest bit and taken on Jasper's surname, I couldn't help but smile as I remember their simple relationship. 'I just moved here from Canada with my parents and siblings -'

She stopped talking as a phone began to ring; I put my hands down on my desk and looked around, 'whose phone is that?'

Everyone began to check their pockets and bags for their phones but Alice turns to me, 'it's yours.'

I cursed under my breath as the whole class turned to look at me and began rummaging in my handbag. I dug it out and, with my head in one of my hands, noted that it was Elsee's school.

'I'm sorry, I have to take this,' I told my class and turned to Alice, 'Alison, do you want to continue, I won't be long.'

Before I could think how odd it was taking to Alice again and using a different name, I turned and walked out the room answering the phone as I did so.

'Hello?' I asked as I shut the door behind me.

'Is this Isabella Swan?' a kind and yet strict voice asked on the other end of the line.

'Yes,' I replied, tapping my foot slightly. 'I'm in the middle of a class, is this important?'

'I'm sorry, Miss Swan,' the woman apologised and picked up her pace. 'Elsee has gotten ill and she's in tears and wants to go home. Is there any way you could come pick her.'

'No, I can't,' I replied regretfully. 'As I said, I'm in the middle of teaching and I won't be finished until late.' (I racked by brains for something to do - at this time of day everyone would be working.) 'If you could give me five minutes, I'll call my boyfriend to see if he can pick her up. Is that okay?'

I suddenly thought of Alice in the classroom, who could hear every word being said on both ends of the conversation, and part of my brain wondered what she was making of it all.

'That would be fine but we'd need his name,' the woman replied, 'perhaps a quick description so we can be sure that we let the right man take Elsee home.'

'His names Sam Uley,' I said quickly, trying not to think of Alice's face now - hopefully she wouldn't click he was a wolf or she would rant at me after class like crazy. 'He has russet skin, black hair, brown eyes and he's tall - six foot something. Elsee will know him; she's always excitable to see him.'

'Okay thank you; please give me a ring about whether he can pick Elsee up.'

'I'll be quick,' I hung up the phone quickly and typed in Sam's number which somehow I already knew off by heart. 'Sam!'

'Hey, Baby,' he panted when he answered just as I was about to hang up and I wondered what he was doing. 'Shouldn't you be teaching? Is something wrong?'

'Elsee's sick,' I told him. 'Are you busy?'

'A little,' he said apologetically and I sighed heavily thinking maybe I could call Jacob. 'But I can still go and get her if that's what you need, drop her off at Billy's?'

'Would you?' I asked smiling. 'Sam, you would be a life saver if you could do that for me, thank you. I'll call you later, okay? Thank you again. I love you.'

'Love you too,' I could hear him grinning. 'I'll go get her, bye.'

'Bye.'

After a quick ring back to the school, I went back into my classroom to find Alice still chatting away and I shook my head. She turned to look at me as I entered and gave me a peculiar look.

'Thank you, Alison,' I smiled at her though it was strained.

She grinned at me and danced back to her seat and I, finally, began my class.

'Bella.'

I looked up to see that though the rest of class had rushed out for lunch, Alice was still here. She looked exactly the same, now surprise really, it was stupid of me to expect some change but she wasn't very happy. She was glaring at me with her hand balled into fists at her hips. I looked around to make sure no one was around.

'Is something wrong, Alice?' I asked nonchalantly when I noticed the door was closed and no one was close by.

'How are you alive?' she asked and I raised an eyebrow at her curiously, completely confused. 'Your whole future went black - I was so sure you were dead.'

'Well, I'm not so …' she frowned at me and came closer.

'I'm really sorry, Bella,' she whispered. 'I didn't want to leave, none of the family did, but Edward made us. Esme was heartbroken but he had himself convinced that he was bad for you and nothing we said could stop him. We argued with him, I swear we did, Bella.'

'It's fine, Alice,' I gave her a real smile as she faltered a bit.

'You aren't -?

'I was,' I admitted easily. 'I _was _mad, and hurt, and I felt abandoned but I did what Edward wanted me to do and moved on. I'm happy.'

As I said the final words my mind flickered to my boyfriend and daughter. Sam would hopeful have Elsee know and it would be his first time alone with her for more than a few minutes. I wasn't worried though, sure he would do fine - of course that all went through my head before I realised that Sam was actually giving her to Billy who was back to his normal self. I was worried about Elsee, however, hoping she couldn't have gotten too ill at school since she was fine this morning.

'_What?'_ Alice asked incredulously. 'Bella, I'm so confused, please explain this me. I mean, your future's entirely blank, you're not mad and have apparently moved on so much so that it's almost like you don't _care _at all. Don't you miss us at all?'

'Alice, I don't know why you can't see me but you can't be surprised I've move on,' I almost snapped at her because by the way she was talking it was almost like she wanted me to be unhappy. 'I'm 25 now and very different than I was at 18.'

'I can tell,' Alice sighed and stood quietly for a few minutes. 'Who's Elsee?'

I had a silent battle in my head about whether or not to tell her but eventually I decided she'd find out anyway, 'my daughter.'

'You're _what_?' Alice practically screeched and bounced slightly on her toes. 'Aw, how old is she? What does she look like? Do we know the father? Is it this "Sam"? What happened? How did it happen? What's she like? -'

'Alice,' I raised a hand to stop her incessant questions and shook my head before sighing. 'God, why am I even telling you this, you should go to lunch.' (I paused to see if she would leave but she was standing in front of me still bouncing on her toes with no sign of leaving.) 'She's six, seven in a few mon-'

'Six?' Alice questioned, doing the math in her head in a second. 'Bella, what happened?'

I looked away from her and then fixed her with a stern look, not wanting to explain the answer to that question, the only people who knew the answer to that were Sue, Seth, Jacob and Leah who hopefully hadn't told the rest of the pack and I didn't want it to be a widely known thing.

'Go to lunch, Alison.'

'But-'

'Go to lunch,' I repeated, picking up my handbag and grabbing my phone out of it, already dialling Billy's number when she sighed and turned.

I sighed and gathered my stuff together for the staff meeting. That had been the longest day of my life, I had had Emmett last period and though he was quiet I could tell he wanted to talk to me, and I couldn't go home yet. I really just wanted to go get Elsee and have a nice evening with he;, I had no brain for a staff meeting right now nor the energy but I had no choice. I walked quickly down to the staff room and sat down in one of the chairs. Since it was now November it got dark so early that by the time I left the school it was dark.

I chucked my stuff in my car and sat in after in, taking the key and turning it. The car started and then failed and I sighed heavily, trying again.

'Damn it,' I muttered before squinting at a figure coming toward me: Edward. I recognised his by the graceful walk and the strange coloured hair.

I got out the car and slammed the door waiting for him to reach me; I leant against the car with my arms crossed. It seemed to take him an eternity to reach me and when he got close enough to properly see his face, I realised that my memory hadn't done him justice at all but I also realised that I was properly and truly over him. I had no desire to be anywhere near him, in fact all I want for him was to leave.

'Did you do this to my car?' I snapped at him, knowing it wouldn't be the first time. 'Because I do not have time for this, I have to go and get-'

'Your daughter,' he nodded and his velvet voice washed over me but it didn't have the same effect on me that it used to. 'Alice told me. When you were 18, I told you'd move on.'

'What do you want, Edward?' I said through my teeth because he was sounding annoyingly smug which I couldn't stand. I didn't move on because he told me to.

'I just wanted to see you,' he answered and, though I could tell he was lying, I let it slid not wanting to be standing here all night.

'Right, well, you could have done that during school,' I snapped. 'Why did you have to break my car?'

'That wasn't me,' he said, shrugging and lent against the car next to me. 'That was the car breaking down, have you had it checked recently?'

'No,' I admitted. 'Edward, if you don't want something will you go away?'

'And leave you standing alone in the dark,' he scoffed. 'I don't think so - you're a danger magnet. You should get someone to pick you up.'

I glared up at him but was surprised how cool he was about this but instead of calling Sue or someone that wouldn't get under his skin, I started dialling Sam's number - he would have Elsee know anyway having picked her up when he finished whatever he was busy with, I was sure. It was harsh to spite Edward when he was being nice but he just irritated me so much now.

'Belle?' Sam voiced answers and I could hear Elsee laughing in the background causing a smile to appear on my face. 'Everything okay?'

'No, um, my car won't start,' I muttered, kicking the wheel - his hearing heard that.

'Well, don't take it out on the car, babe,' he chuckled and I heard Edward's teeth snap together. 'It's not its fault.'

'Whatever,' I glared at Edward still not completely convinced this wasn't his fault.

'Do you want me to come get you?' Sam asked, sounding like he was trying to smother his laughs.

'Please,' I replied and Elsee laughed again. 'You two seem to be having fun, how is she?'

'Better,' Sam said and I could tell he was grinning. 'She slept for a while, Billy gave her some microwave soup but she seems slightly better now, less hyper though she's got a small fever.'

I bit my lip and sighed, wanting just to see her.

'She'll be fine, Belle, we'll see you in a few minutes.'

'Thanks, Sam,' I smiled and saw Edward tense out of the corner of my eye. 'Bye.'

'Bye.'

'Wolves!' Edward exploded as soon as shut the phone. 'That's what that smell is, you're dating a wolf. Are you stupid? Have you completely lost your mind?'

'There's nothing wrong with wolves,' I snapped at him angrily. If it was stupid dating a wolf, then it was suicidal to date a vampire, so he couldn't exactly talk about danger.

'They have no control!' he argued back and I resisted the urge to hit him as my palms tingled - why did he always make me violent?

'Edward, this is none of your business,' I said, trying to calm myself down before I injured myself.

'None of my business!' he repeated practically yelling in my face. 'I left so you could have a _normal, human _life with someone who wouldn't put you in danger.'

'Sam doesn't put me in danger,' I countered. Sam was so careful with his phasing, if he even had the slightly shake, he would be across the room, or even out the room, in a second. He would never phase close enough to Elsee or I, I was certain.

'He puts you in danger every day,' Edward disagreed and I glared at him leaning back on the car since I had gotten of it whilst calling Sam. I tapped my hands on my legs wondering how long Sam would be because I wasn't going to be able to stand much more of my controlling ex-boyfriend.

'Leave Sam out of this,' I said, calming myself again. 'This really isn't any of your business, Edward, you gave up the right of knowing things when you _left _me in that forest, when you took everything I knew to be true and threw it away life it was meaningless. You can go now; I don't need protecting, especially not by you.'

My words were mean, meant to be spoken with a cutting edge but I spoke with boredom, like I didn't care. Edward scoffed at my last words.

'You're right,' he sighed. 'That was a stupid move to do it in the forest-'

'_That _was the only thing wrong with that?' I tried not the screech. 'Edward, everything was wrong with that day. You can't just decide what's best for me, like you own me. That was your problem you can't help but tell people what to do and, my god, Edward, it's irritating. I don't care if I was a "fragile human", I don't like my life decided for me!'

I opened that car door and grabbed my stuff out of it, the books weren't heavy but Edward reached to help me.

'I can do it,' I snapped at him, grabbing my bag and shoving it over my shoulder. 'I am not helpless.'

'Bella!' Sam's voice echoed out sounding worried and agitated, I practically sighed with relief as I turned to him striding toward with Elsee in his arms - she'd never keep up with his long strides - and his nose wrinkled at Edward's scent. He placed Elsee down and she ran toward me. When she was close enough I scooped her up in my arms, ignoring Edward pointedly now, though I had had to place the books on the bonnet before picking Elsee up.

'Hey, darling, how are you feeling?' I asked her, kissing her forehead quickly noting how warm it was.

'Sick and hot,' she mumbled burying her head in my shoulder, I hoisted her higher and turned to Sam. 'Hey.'

'Hi,' he said, placing a kiss on my lips - Edward growled slightly but we both ignored it. 'It's not your day, is it?'

'Is it ever?' I countered and he chuckled, reaching around me to take the books off of the bonnet and I would have protested had I not had Elsee in my arms. I turned to Edward. 'Goodbye, Edward, and stay away from me.'

Conversations with him were so tiring. We began to walk away and I could tell Sam was glaring daggers down at Edward, warning him in his head to do as I said I was sure.

'You smell like Vampire,' Sam complained too low for Elsee to hear in my ear as he wrapped an arm around and led me to his car away from Edward.

'Sorry,' I whispered. 'They've been all around me today.'

Sam stiffened and I twisted my face to kiss his cheek, trying to distract him from the idea of their return.


	8. Chapter 8

'Thank you so much, Sam,' I said as we pulled up outside my house and seeing the movement inside I thought I really needed to get my own house if I was going to be staying here: Leah was driving me crazy.

'You're welcome,' he smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to my cheek. 'What are you thinking about?'

'How Elsee and I really need to get our own house,' I said honestly and his eyebrows rose.

'Why?'

'Leah's getting on my nerves,' I admitted and he chuckled: Leah was his ex-girlfriend, he knew that well. 'Plus there isn't really enough room.'

Sam seemed to hesitate before saying his thoughts, 'move in with me.'

'What?' I turned and gaped at him, glad Elsee had fallen asleep in the back seat so this conversation was private even from her. 'Sam-'

'Why not?' he shrugged. 'You spend most your time there anyway so there's no point spending a load of money of a house that you won't be in a lot of the time. I know we've only been dating since the end of September but … actually that's nearly two months.' (I did the math in my head and realised he was right - time had moved so quickly) 'Please, Belle, move in with me.'

I looked across at him with a soft smile on my face. He was right, it was logical, but it also felt right. I wanted to live with him, wanted to move this relationship on.

'Okay,' I agreed, nodding with a wide smile. 'Yes, I'll move in with you.'

Sam's face burst into an irresistible grin and he lent across to kiss me. I beamed back at him when he pulled away, feeling so happy that my long, tiring day just blew out the window. I pressed another kiss to his lips before turned and getting out the car. He got out as well and gathered my sleeping daughter in his arms, this was becoming a regular occurrence him bringing a sleeping Elsee back into the house for me, and I gathered my stuff. Together we made our way up to the door.

'Hey, Bells,' Seth grinned as he opened it, probably having seen through the window that both Sam and I had our arms full. 'You're home late. Hi, Sam.'

'Hello, Seth,' Sam chuckled. 'Who's on patrol?'

'Leah and Jacob,' they both pulled a face and I giggled, imagining Jake and Leah together: they couldn't stand each other and argued constantly.

Seth stepped back from the doorway, taking a few of the books off me and I smiled, 'thanks, Seth.'

Sam knew the way to Elsee's room but I went with him anyway. Once I had said goodnight to her and kissed her, I started to make my way out of the room only to notice that Sam wasn't following. I turned and let against the doorframe. He was looking at her from where he was perched on the edge and as I watched her brush a stray strand off her face before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her head. I smiled softly as my eyes began to tingle and looked away, blinking rapidly. When I turned back, Sam was making his way toward me.

'I love you so much, you know,' I said, throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him deeply when I'd finished talking. His arms slipped around my waist as he returned it though he seemed completely unsure as to what he'd done to deserve it. We broke apart after a few minutes.

'What was that for?' Sam asked.

I just smiled at him and after shutting off Elsee's light, led him downstairs so we could tell Sue that news that Elsee and I would be moving. Sam stayed for a few hours longer, just the two of us sat in the original lounge, there was another one in the extension, with glasses of wine. It wasn't perfect since I kept going upstairs to check on Elsee but it was nice and simple.

'Belle?' he asked and I could tell by his voice that he was about to ruin the romantic atmosphere. 'What's the story with Elsee's father?'

I shut my eyes and took a deep breath - what was with people today? Why were they all asking about Elsee's father, who actually had no idea that she even existed?

'He was jerk,' was all I said and Sam raised his eyebrows. 'Okay, I'll tell but you're not allowed to judge me or stop loving because of what I tell you, okay?'

'That won't be a problem,' Sam rolled his eyes and smiled at me.

I took another breathe, 'I was raped by my boyfriend.' (Sam froze and seemed to focus for a second, probably trying to stop himself from getting angry at this person he didn't) 'I thought he was a good guy and I was really _badly_ wrong. I met him when I moved back to Arizona, he was kind and sweet and, being the gullible person, I fell for it, for him. I was almost nineteen, probably about a month before I was, and he was getting frustrated at me for not sleeping with him yet. I had been talking him out of it and distracting him for months by that point and he just … he just _lost_ it. He shoved me back on the bed and even went as far as to tie my arms and legs to it after I got a few punches in. I was so stupid back then - weak and scared out of my mind.

'I told my mum and she had him arrested - that's another reason why I came back, he just got out of prison (he doesn't know about Elsee and hopefully he never will) but I just didn't want to take any changes… Sam!'

I broke out of my thoughts to see that Sam was shaking badly and snapped his name. I jumped of the sofa and backed away from him.

'Sam,' I said, extending my hands towards him. 'Calm down, it's the past, calm down. It's okay, everything's okay. Sam, please calm down!'

My voice was getting more and more panicked but eventually Seth ran in and grabbed Sam by the arm.

'Bells, scat,' he told me pointing the door, I didn't want to leave but I could tell Sam was going to explode soon and Seth had a better chance than I did of calming him done or at least getting him outside.

I slid past them out the door and up the stairs before hovering at the top of it. Seth was pulling Sam, who wasn't putting up much off a fight, out the front door. They barely made it out before I heard the sounds of clothes ripping and knew Sam had lost it and exploded into a wolf. There were two sets of growls so I knew that Seth had transformed as well, no doubt to stop himself from being scratched. I sighed heavily but went to Seth's room to grab him so clothes, not sure what Sam was going to do since, being Alpha, he was bigger than Seth. I heard howling that I assumed were Jake and Leah coming up from La Push to see if they could calm Sam down - I was suddenly very glad it was those two on patrol since they knew the whole story of Elsee's father.


	9. Chapter 9

'Hey, you,' I looked up from my book to the doorway of my bedroom where Sam was leaning, his face twisted into an apologetic expression

'I'm so sorry,' he said walking towards me and sitting on the bed close by so he could brush his hand over my cheek. I placed at hand on his.

'Don't worry about it,' I smiled, knowing he couldn't help transforming when he was angry.

'Thank you so much for getting out of there,' he whispered. 'I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you.'

He flinched at the very thought and I kissed his cheek before smiling up at him.

'It's the past, honey, and the past doesn't matter,' I said speaking both of his reaction and of my past: both things were now past matters that we needn't concern ourselves with any longer. He lent forward and kissed my forehead.

'I'm so sorry, Bella,' he whispered. 'You didn't deserve that and that boy definitely didn't deserve you … but then, who does deserve someone like you?'

I rolled my eyes: I was nothing special, 'well no one deserves that but I got Elsee and she is the best gift I could have ever gotten it. She's given me meaning to my life that I couldn't possible conceive before.'

'Still, Belle,' he muttered angrily. 'I will never let anyone, including me, hurt you, or Elsee, again. I swear to god.'

'I know,' I smiled over at him. 'I trust you. I know you are nothing like him and I know that love Elsee … so when should we move in?'

I tried to change the conversation because this one was beginning to take a strain on me; my choice of subject made Sam grin.

'As soon as possible,' he laughed. 'This weekend?'

'Sounds perfect,' I beamed at him in return and the sighed. 'What are we going to do about the Cullens? I mean they don't seem to be causing a problem at the moment but you never know.'

'They won't do anything,' Sam assured me. 'Carlisle would never let them and there's also the treaty.'

'Yeah, do wanna explain the treaty a bit more to me?' I asked, last time it had been explained to me, I hadn't gotten many details.

Sam shrugged and gave me an "if you wanna know" face before speaking, 'it was created in 1936 with the pack - which at the time was only three wolves, Elphraim Black, Levi Uley and Quil Aleara II - and the Cullens - back then there was only Carlisle, Edward, Emmett, Esme and Rosalie. It's maintained as long as the Cullens don't bite any humans, meaning either turning or hunting them, or come onto our land. In return, we wouldn't attack them or reveal their nature to humans. Carlisle and Ephraim were the signatories. It's quiet simple really.'

I nodded. Still not much detail but then they probably didn't know all that much, Carlisle would be a better person to ask since he had actually been there or any of the other Cullens beside Alice and Jasper, but it gave me more of an understanding. I thought back to the time where I wanted to become one of them and how Sam had just told me doing so would have violated the treaty.

'Tell you what,' he said. 'We should be having a council meeting soon and you have a rightful place there.'

'Why?' I asked and he gave me an incredulous look. 'Imprint right. What happens at a council meeting?'

'We eat food and listen to the histories of the tribe,' Sam shrugged and I raised an eyebrow that didn't sound much like a meeting but I smiled anyway. 'The whole pack'll be there and some of their imprints, not Clair, she's too young really, but Kim and … take it back, Imprint-wise, it'll just be you and Kim.' (I rolled my eyes at him, though I was glad that I was going to meet someone else in this imprint situation) 'Billy will be there, Sue, Old Quil -'

'Okay, that'll be interesting,' I grinned, 'but what'll I do with Elsee?'

The only people I trusted were in the pack or, like Billy and Sue, going to be there. I hadn't spoken to Angela in years - thinking of that I really should speak to her - or any of my Forks high school. If I really wanted to be cheeky, and only as I last resort, I could ask Esme but I didn't like the idea of Elsee around that family, I didn't trust them too much anymore though I knew Carlisle and Esme would simply adore Elsee.

'That's a really good question,' Sam frowned. 'Babysitter?'

I wrinkled my nose: I never liked babysitters that I didn't already know extremely well. It was just me.

As it turned out, a week later at this council meeting, I was going to leave Elsee with Esme but only because it was just her and Carlisle in the house. I felt bad taking their alone time but those two I still trusted. Sam wasn't happy about it and I wasn't happy standing in front of that big white house that they lived in again but I couldn't delay too long as they knew I was out here.

Carlisle met me at the door and wrapped me in a tight hug.

'Bella, it's lovely to see you again,' he smiled at me and I realised that physically I was now older than him which was a strange thought since I used to think of him as my second father and if I'm honest with myself I still do. 'I am so glad you're alive… you look very happy.'

He was still taller than me so I smiled up at him, wondering why people kept saying that to me as though they were surprised at this idea of my happiness, and pulled Elsee toward me.

'It's nice to see you as well,' I beamed. 'This is my daughter, Elsee. Elsee, this is …' - I paused as I debated the way to describe Carlisle and Esme - 'mummy's friend, Carlisle. He and his wife, Esme,' - I smiled up at her as she appeared - 'are going to watch you tonight and you need you to be one your _best possible_ behaviour, okay?'

'Yes, Mummy,' Elsee replied obediently and I leant down to kiss her head.

'Bella, dear, it's so pleased to see you again,' Esme wrapped me in a hug tighter than her husband and I smiled at her, sweetly. Esme would always be a mother to me.

'I'd love to stay and talk to you both but I'm already late,' I looked at my watch worriedly. 'So thank you so, so much for this. I really sorry I have to do this to you, it's just I don't really know anyone here anymore and my step-families busy -'

'Bella, it's fine,' Carlisle rested a cold hand on my shoulder. 'Go have a nice evening, we'll see you later.'

'Thank you,' I pushed myself up to kiss his cheek, which took him completely by surprise, and hugged Esme once more, she kissed my hair.

I gave her some stuff for Elsee and then bent down and hugged my daughter, kissing her on the nose causing her to giggle.

'I'll see you later,' I told her standing up and opening the front door. 'Goodbye.'

'Goodbye, Bella,' Esme smiled and I ran down the steps to get to my car without getting too wet, apparently the rain was only over Forks and going in the opposite direction so the meeting, which I learnt was a barbeque stupid I thought because it was December next week, was going ahead on the cliff edge. I drove back to Sam's house since Else and I were now moved in completely though there were a few boxes left around that had only just come up from Arizona, where I would change and we would leave for the cliff top together.

We were one of that last to arrive but they hadn't started eating yet so we didn't miss out of dinner. It was my first time around the whole pack at once since I knew about the wolves and it was great because I no longer felt like they were keeping secrets around me and no longer as if they were thinking about their words a lot before they said them.

The food that was cooked was gone in seconds, which was saying something considering the quantity that was cooked but it always did with the wolves. Sam must have eaten at least half a dozen burgers/hot dogs himself.

When legends were about to start Sam shifted from he had been sitting behind me with one leg on either side so I could lean against his warm chest, making that I didn't get cold, to sit facing the same with as the tribe elders and, since he hadn't told me, it was only then that I realised as Alpha he was one as well.

It was strange, I noted, to think of the vampires as bad guys and I had to remind myself that the Cullens were unique apart from the Denali's and maybe a few unknowns but it was still weird hearing their species be portrayed in such a different way. Of course, they were enemies so it wasn't really surprising. The stories took hours and though I was fascinated by them by eyes began to fall heavily - Kim was already fast asleep on Jared's shoulder. Sam seemed to notice my weariness and shuffled back towards me slightly giving me a resting post, a warm, comfy one at that. His warmth warded of the cold that had been keeping me awake and I began to drift off.

'We're almost done,' his warm breath tickled my ear as he whispered and I nodded though I was already gone for the most part.

I woke up to a rocking motion and opened my eyes to see that we had left the cliff tops and that Sam was carrying me back home. We were walking through the forests and I tried not to think of how similar this was to a previous time though the situation and reason were completely different. I shifted slightly in his arms and he looked down at me.

'You're awake,' his deep comforting stated, smiling lovingly down at me and I managed a tired one back at him as I snaked my arms up around his neck.

'You don't have to carry me, I can walk,' I protested though I would probably slow him down if he did.

'It's fine,' he shrugged, or at least attempted to. 'You're not heavy and besides it's probably safer.'

I hit his chest slightly before laying my head on it and feeling his laugh vibrate through it. I was so content.

'What time is it?' I asked him sleepily.

''Bout half eleven, why?'

'Elsee.'

'Don't worry,' he smiled. 'I called Carlisle and Esme' - I looked up at him in surprise as he used their real names, I had never really noticed it before but after a night of them being referred to as leeches it was nice - 'they're going to keep her till the morning, apparently their "kids" won't be back until lunch and besides she was asleep. I gave Carlisle permission to bring her back in the morning.'

'What's gotten into you?' I asked suspiciously; him referring to the Cullen's by their real names was one thing but actually giving one permission to cross the border while sounding like it didn't bother him made me feel he was up to something.

'Nothing,' he replied defensively and I scoffed. 'Alright, I know you still like Carlisle and Esme so I thought I'd make it easier for you to see them. If it was any of the others there might be a bit more of a conflict, especially Edward - stupid leech.'

I rolled my eyes at the last comment but smiled anyway, 'thank you.'


	10. Chapter 10

I heard the car before it arrived at the door, mainly since I was listening for it, so I was out of the kitchen where I was making breakfast and opening the door as the Carlisle's sleek black car pulled up.

'Mommy!' Elsee laughed, scrambling out of her seat and running toward me, Carlisle got out at a slower, more reasonable human pace. I smiled and picked her up, spinning her around.

Sam appeared at the door at the sound of her laugh dressed, as usual, in only a pair of shorts. I put Elsee down and Sam bent down to give her a hug, wrinkling his nose probably at the smell of vampire coating her scent.

'Sorry about that,' Carlisle smiled easily at Sam as he approached. It was something I loved about him: how he could practically anyone comfortable.

'It's fine,' Sam replied, his tone slightly more tense than Carlisle's as he tried to control the natural reaction to phase. 'I'm sure she and Bella smelt just as badly of us yesterday when she dropped Elsee off.'

All this talk of scents was making me wary, we hadn't told Elsee about the Quileute's power yet since we weren't sure how she'd take it that her mother serious boyfriend could transform into a wolf whenever he wanted - of course, I was sure part of her would find it very cool, it was the other parts I was worried about.

Carlisle smiled in agreement and then lent to kiss my cheek in greeting, obviously comfortable in this new sign of affection of our friendly relationship - Carlisle was the only father I had left, one I'd never thought I'd seen again.

'Thank you so much for watching her,' I smiled up at him - it was really irritating how _everyone _was taller than me, Sam was even taller than Carlisle. 'I can't thank you enough.'

'You're going to have a good go at it though,' Sam muttered probably in what he thought was below my hearing range and hit him lightly with my hand causing Carlisle to softly chuckle.

'It's was our pleasure, Bella,' he turned the conversation back to the point. 'You know what Esme's like with kids.'

I laughed knowing exactly what Esme was like with kids: she loved spending time with them and they couldn't help but adore her. I could bet Elsee was completely entranced by the woman I used to think would end up my mother-in-law.

'Carlisle?' I asked and he sensed a change in the atmosphere. 'Why _are_ you back? Surely it's very dangerous.'

'We aren't back for long,' he smiled at my concern. 'You're future went black and Alice panicked having not seen what happened. We had to find out … but you're fine so we'll leave soon. We cause too much harm here and we're really raising suspicion.'

I smiled glad I wouldn't have to suffer though the Cullens presence for long but a wave of sadness washed over me when I thought of Carlisle and Esme leaving. Sam seemed to sense this.

'Well, you and Esme are welcome to visit,' he seemed to struggle in saying this. 'As long as you give us a heads up when you do otherwise I won't be responsible if you get attacked.'

'That's very kind of you, Sam,' Carlisle smiled at him and I simply stared at him: he really did trust Carlisle even though they were meant to be enemies.

We exchanged a few more words with Carlisle before he left and then headed back into _our _home - I still couldn't get over that fact - with Elsee chattering away in our ears. Sam went to the lounge whilst I returned to the kitchen, Elsee followed me.

'Have you eaten?' I asked her as she paused momentarily for a breath and she nodded happily.

'Yes, Miss Esme made me pancakes- blueberry pancakes!' she exclaimed happily. 'They were so yummy!'

'Well, Miss Esme is a very good cook,' I agreed remembering the food Esme had cooked for me when I was over there and it was always the best food in the world - it was amazing how well she could cook since she didn't need to eat. 'Tell you what, you go play with Sam then while I make him and I breakfast because we haven't had any yet, okay?'

'Okay,' Elsee agreed before skipping away to Sam and leaving a nice quiet kitchen behind.

Ten minutes later, the three of us were sat down at our little table in the kitchen and then as soon as that was finished Sam jumped up, looking at his watch. Sam still wasn't used to thinking about having time to eat breakfast before he went because apparently before we moved in he usually grabbed a load of food and ate it on the way out.

'I gotta get to work,' he muttered and I knew by "work" he meant patrol or something else to do with the pack since that was his full time job. I wasn't really sure how he paid the bills or got this big, beautiful house but I had decided not to question it.

'Daddy!' Esme whined as he began to make his way to the door and we both froze before Sam began turning around so slowly it seemed to take an age, his eyes were wide and his hand resting on his head in shock. She didn't notice our staring at she continued. 'It's Saturday, you can't go to work.'

'Daddy?' both Sam and I repeated, ignoring the rest of her sentence to focus on the more important, in our minds at least, part.

'I can call you that, right?' Elsee asked suddenly looking worried and sheepish at her exclamation.

This was the first time Sam had looked at me for assistance of what to say in regards to Elsee and, having no idea myself, I grinned, mouthing "whatever you want" to him. If Elsee wanted to call him that and he was fine with it, I was happy, I was over the moon actually because in my mind Sam already was Elsee's father, though they looked nothing alike. He loved her like she was and the same for her and that was all that mattered.

'Sure you can, Princess,' Sam managed to smile and he came back into the kitchen and knelt down in front her chair, 'but I'm afraid I really do have to go so it's just going to be you and your mom for a few hours.'

'But it's Saturday,' Elsee repeated in protest with a brilliant smile that had spread at his agreement. I had the same smile on my own that just refused to be pushed down.

'I know,' Sam nodded and gave her an apologetic smile. 'Sorry, Princess.'

"Princess" was becoming Sam's personal nickname for my, for our, daughter now and I could tell that she absolutely loved being someone's little princess. I knew she had wanted a dad since she realised that most other people had them and she didn't and when she had asked why I hadn't had any idea what to tell her but now she had that dream. Sam kissed her forehead and, after kissing me on the cheek, he disappeared out the door.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day I decided that maybe it was time to get in touch with some old school friends who probably, by now, already knew I was here. I started with Angela since she was the one I had liked the most.

'Hello?' her kind voice answered the phone.

'Hi, Angela,' I said. 'It's Bella, Bella Swan, you're parents gave me your number.'

'Bella!' Angela exclaimed. 'My goodness, how are you? It's been years. I heard you were back in Forks.'

'Yeah,' I agreed, 'do you want to get Lunch sometime? I'd love to catch up, I've really missed you.'

'That's sounds great,' Angela voice sounded like she was smiling. 'How about next weekend? I hear you work at Forks high now so we can only do it at the weekends.'

I sat in the booth at one of the café's in Forks waiting for Angela, Sam had taken Elsee for the day and they were going to be having some bonding time. My life was all falling into place.

'Bella!' Angela's voice called and I turned to see her making her way towards the table.

I stood up to meet her. She looked exactly the same light brown hair with caramel highlight same tall frame, same kind light brown eyes though her skin seemed darker than it had. She looked happy and healthy and I was surprised to see an engagement ring on her finger.

'You look good,' she beamed at me and I remembered the last time she had seen me I was zombie-like so it was quite a change. 'I'm glad your back.'

'You do as well,' I said, hugging her. 'Who's the lucky guy?'

She blushed as we sat down, 'Ben.'

I beamed, those two had always been good together and I was so happy to learn that they had lasted lots of high school sweethearts don't.

'So tell me everything,' I said after we'd gotten ourselves coffee and things to eat. 'You seem to already know a lot about me.'

'Not that much,' she waved a hand through the air but if you insist. I'm a photographer,' (I could hardly say I was surprised) 'I just got back from a shot in Africa and it was _amazing, _Bella. I mean, I stayed in this village and there were these groups of children that followed me around everywhere. They were adorable and a lot of my photo's focused on them instead of the animals. I do magazines too; a few years ago I went to L.A. and did shots with a model of the beach for a cover -'

'Angela, that's amazing,' I beamed over at her: she had really made something great of herself. 'That must be a fun job.'

'Oh, it's great,' she agreed beaming, I had never known Angela talk so much but now was a time I wanted her to chatter away, it would my turn eventually. 'I get to go to so many different locations. You should come with me sometime. My company lets photographers take friends there, especially if there's only one of us going, because we don't spend the whole time there working, we have the evening's free usually and usually an extra day either side.'

'I don't know,' I said thinking of Elsee, I couldn't leave her alone though she would be with Sam. 'I mean it sounds amazing but … I don't tell. Tell me about you and Ben.'

'There's not that much to tell,' she shrugged. 'He asked me to marry me a few months ago and we're planning the wedding now and -'

'- and your completely over the moon,' I finished for her looking at her face which was lit up brightly at the mention of Ben.

She blushed again but didn't deny it, 'what about you? How's your love life since you know who?'

Since Edward, I thought. How could I sum up my crappy, excluding Sam, love life?

'Slow,' I said, 'but I'm dating this guy from La Push now and -'

'-your head over heels in love with him,' Angela did what I just did to her and finished my conversation with an observation that was true but not what I was going to say. I blushed deeply. 'Ah, what's he like? Who is he?'

'Sam Uley?' I asked her and I could see her face have a flicker of recognition.

'He's the one that found you out in the forest,' she remembered and we both cringed lightly. 'So you're dating your saviour. That's so sweet and romantic.'

I blushed again though this time it was lighter.

'No but he's perfect, though he can't control his anger very well,' I pressed my lips together, having said that last part without meaning to and quickly hurried to distract Angela since she furrowed her eyebrows in concern. 'He's loving, and kind, and caring. He gets on so well with Elsee-'

'Who's Elsee?' Angela asked thoroughly distracted know.

'She's my six year old daughter,' I told her and she just stared at me.

'You're a mom?' she asked. 'You have a daughter and she's six. Bella, who -? How -?'

'It's a long story,' I brushed it aside not wanting to get into that mess again. 'But she's my little angel, blond hair that long and always a mess, my brown eyes, constantly happy and so trusting.'

'Does she like Sam?' Angela asked and I smiled softly as I remembered last weekend.

'Yeah,' I said quietly. 'She adores him … called him "Daddy" last weekend it and now it's all she calls it.'

'Aw,' Angela cooed. 'You have a perfect little family in the making.'

I beamed over at her brightly, I had never been happier in my life as I was right now with my daughter and my boyfriend who I was perfectly confident in and felt perfectly safe with.

'You seem so happy,' she smiled.

'I am.'

'So have you seen anyone else since you got back?' she asked, finally starting to eat her food.

'Not from school,' I shook my head. 'How have things changed?'

'They haven't really,' Angela shrugged, 'you know Forks.' (We both rolled our eyes) 'Mike and Jessica are on and off like crazy, I mean they'll break up one week and be back to together by then next.'

'Same old Jess and Mike then.'

'I know. Mike still works in his parents shop and Jess, she works up a Port Angles. Lauren hasn't changed one bit, her looks have, but she herself is exactly the same: you'd barely recognise her if she passed you in the street.'

'What's Ben doing now? Tyler?'

'Tyler, I don't know, he moved away a few years ago but Ben's in robotics.'

I grinned, 'I bet he loves that.'

'He's fascinated by it,' Angela laughed nodding. 'What does Sam do?'

I blanched. Sam's full time job was protector of the Quileute lands but, my mind reminded me, he's also on the council. I sighed, hoping Angela would take that as a good response.

'He's on the Quileute Council,' I told her.

'Oh!' Angela sounded impressed. 'That's interesting so he's kind of a Politian but just in La Push.'

I nodded; I didn't really know much about what Sam did as the member of it since it was probably just perfunctory for being Chief of the pack. I knew, if he ever needed to, he would discuss matters of strange vampire situations with the elders, the other members of the council, of what action to take but that was all I really knew.

'Can I meet them?' Angela asked. 'I'd love to meet your daughter.'

I smiled at her again, feeling much more at ease. There was nothing magical about Elsee so I couldn't mess up too badly with answering questions about her.

'Sure,' I nodded. 'Now?'

'If that's okay?' she seemed really excited.

'Yeah, she's with Sam so they're probably at home -'

'Home?' Angela interrupted me with wide eyes. 'Are you living with Sam?'

'Yeah, we moved in a few weeks ago.'

'This is really serious,' she grinned though I was sure she knew that from the fact the Elsee was calling Sam "daddy".

We didn't rush off instead we finished our food and drinks. Angela who lived nearby the café had walked so we both got in my car and began making out way back through Forks to the La Push Reservation.


	12. Chapter 12

When we parked outside the house, I knew something was different and a "whoop, whoop" told me what was: the pack was here. I shook my head but smiled anyway. I should have known those boys (and Leah) would have invaded the house while I was gone. Angela looked at me.

'Are you sure now's a good time?' she asked.

'Yeah,' I nodded opening the car door. 'It's just of our friends, they won't bite.'

We slowly made our way up to the house and I followed the noises to the kitchen where the eight members of the pack (Sam, Jared, Paul, Quil, Leah, Jacob, Embry and Seth) were squeezed in with Elsee sitting of Jacob's shoulders. I cleared my throat loudly and they all turned to look at me.

'Hey Bella,' they called practically in unison and Angela laughed.

Jacob and Sam made their way over to me. Elsee reached for me and I pulled her down from Jake's shoulders, though that was a lot of effort since he was so much taller than me about an inch taller than Sam even since Jacob, by blood, should have been alpha but apparently he had turned it down.

'You're home soon,' Sam grinned leaning down and pressing a kiss to my cheek.

'Yeah, Sam this is Angela, she's a friend of mine from school,' I almost had to shout to be heard over the noise the others were making, though it wouldn't have been necessary if it had just been the pack since Sam would have been able to hear me normal volume. 'Angela, this is my boyfriend, Sam, my friend Jacob, and my daughter.'

'It's nice to meet you all,' Angela smiled kindly up at them though it wasn't as much of a gap for her because she was 6'1" to Sam's 6'6" for me it was irritating being only 5'4" but since my balance had improved I wore heels a lot more so I was slightly taller.

The boys greeted her warmly before we - Angela, Elsee and I - escaped out into the lounge.

'They're very tall,' Angela said as soon as we entered.

'Tell me about it,' I muttered. 'Anyway, this is my little girl. Elsee, this is Angela, she was a very close friend of mine when I was in high school.'

'Hello,' Elsee smiled and I could see Angela melt as most people did when they meet Elsee.

Eventually the pack left and it was just Sam, Angela, Elsee and me sitting in the living room. Elsee was sitting of Angela's lap, chattering away while I was curled up against Sam's side. Angela joined us for dinner before I drove her home a while later.

'That man really loves you,' Angela said as I drove, 'and his completely taken by Elsee, she's got him wrapped around her finger I can tell.'

I smiled, glad someone else could see it just as well as I could, 'trust me, Elsee has us both under her spell.'

'Well, it doesn't take much on her part to get someone,' Angela laughed and I knew she was under Elsee's spell already. 'You did good, Bella.'

I smiled over at her and reached to squeeze her hand, 'thanks, Ang, you've done good too.'

'Did you ever think we'd end up like this?' she asked.

'What you marring Ben? Yes,' I grinned and laughed slightly. 'Me with a daughter? No.'

'I'd always imagined you'd marry Edward and have the most beautiful children,' she admitted and I resisted the urge to flinch because that was exactly what I had thought. 'I mean what even happened back then?'

'He broke up with me when he moved away and that was that,' I replied simply, cursing the magical parts of the story which made it so I couldn't tell her much more without treading lightly.

'You two were good together but …' she hesitated as she thought. 'I think Sam's better for you, you seem happier than you did back then.'

'I am and so do you.'

'He's protective though, isn't he? Sam?' I nodded, Sam had been more protective since the Cullen's had returned, he seemed certain in my love for him but he was always wary of me going to school since they were there. I didn't teach Edward but I taught both Alice and Emmett. I think it scared him, that maybe I would just get attached to them again without realising it and get sucked back in but I had Elsee to think of now and I loved Sam so he was really just be paranoid.

'Not as bad as Edward,' I muttered under my breath and Angela nodded.

'I did sometimes think Edward was overbearing in that area of his love for you,' she shrugged.

_Overbearing _I thought, that was an understatement but I didn't mention it.

'So you said earlier than Sam can't control his anger very well,' Angela continued looking over at me. 'What did you mean by that?'

'Nothing,' I sighed, I should have none she wouldn't have let it go. 'Sam doesn't get angry easily but, it just when he does, you know about it. He's quite loud.' - _Snarling away as a wolf_, I added on in my head but Angela seemed satisfied, glad that I hadn't meant that he was violent no doubt, I continued for good measure - 'Seriously, Ange, Sam would never touch Elsee or me in the way you're thinking, he really is just loud.'

'Okay, if you promise,' Angela smiled. 'He doesn't seem like the type to anyway, I just … I wanted to make sure.'

'And I love you for that,' I assured her.

We were at her house now and, as I pulled the car to a stop outside, I saw Ben peek out the window.

'Do you want to come in and see Ben?' she asked but I shook my head looking at the clock on the dash.

'No, I better get back,' I told her. 'Elsee will want to spend some time with me before she has to go to bed. Tell him hi for me.'

'Of course,' Angela smiled, opening the car door to get out. 'It's lovely to see you again.'

'You too,' she sent me one last smile and then hurried up to the house: it wasn't raining but it was cold. Ben met her at the door, kissing her softly before he turned and waved at me. I waved back before turning the car around and heading back to my little family.


	13. Chapter 13

'We really need to get Elsee's room decorated,' I told Sam about a week later. Quil had taken Elsee to go and meet Claire so it was just the two of us.

Sam looked at me, 'is that really want your thinking about right now?'

He asked and I laughed but raised an eyebrow. He leaned forward and captured my lips running his fingers gently down my sides sending tingling sensations through my body. His lips didn't leave mine as one of his hand continued to trail down my body toward my leg while the other wrapped around my waist, pulling me as close against him as possible. He bent his knees when I his hands got too low to reach but it wasn't for long as he pulled my leg up to his hip. Finally catching onto what he was thinking, I grinned against his lips. We hadn't done this yet, in fact this was our first proper time alone when we knew we had a while. I pushed myself to wrap my other leg around him and his arms moved to hold me up.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and tilted my head as his lips moved away from my mouth and grazed by skin until he began placing kiss on my neck. He began moving down the stairs badly as we knocked things over but we didn't notice as things crashed to the ground. My arms moved lower to the bottom of his shirt - he does chose his time to wear them - and began pulling it up. He pushed me against the wall as he removed his arms from around me to his shirt and pulled it off, chucking it carelessly to the floor. I pulled his lips back to mine, feeling my body sinking into a frenzy for him.

We began moving again and slowly my own clothes left my body, leaving a trail toward our bedroom. We must have smashed hundreds of this in our assent but I didn't care in fact I laughed a few times. Soon Sam was laying me on the bed and crawling on top of me, kissing his way up my body. I was completely naked now apart from my nickers so he paused around my chest and, after kissing in the valley between my breasts, he moved to my nipples. Sucking and nibbling in such a way that I arched my back towards him, needing him so badly as I felt a tightening in my core.

He was still wearing too much though so reached down to unzip he shorts before he flipped us over. I lowered myself pulling the shorts further down as I did so. I had never done this before unless you count the horrible encounter with Elsee's father, which I tried to participate in as little as possible, doing nothing wasn't really an option when he had practically thrust his dick in my mouth and forcedly moved my head, which I didn't so I was completely nervous. I pushed the thought of Elsee's father easily from my head as Sam kicked off his shorts and rolled us back over.

I moaned as Sam kissed me deeply and I could feel him grin against me lips. It wasn't long till I was literally screaming out his name filled with my love for him and eventually we collapsed on the bed.

Half an hour later, when were back downstairs, I went to make lunch but Sam snuck up behind me placing a kiss on my cheek. I was sure it wasn't his intention for us to end up back in the bed but we did. This time was even better than the first because, though the first time I was worried that it would be bad because my only experience had been, this time I was much more confident. The next time we didn't even bother going upstairs ending up on the kitchen table - it wasn't the most romantic place ever but neither of us cared too lost in each other.

I had thought I had loved Edward but in comparison to what I felt with Sam, this adoration, desire and inability to keep my hands off him love, it seemed stupid to have ever thought that. Sam didn't seem to be able to keep his hands off me either because after the third time I was so drenched in sweat I felt a little manky I went and took a shower though I really didn't want to wash Sam off me. That wasn't a problem though since he joined me and we started our act of love for each again, this time with the water pouring down on us.

I wrapped a towel around myself and shook my head trying to dislodge the permanent smile on my face but I was impossible and eventually I gave up. Sam and I were acting like teenagers and it was crazy, I was a mother and I had to be mature, but as soon as Sam's lips touched me that was completely out the window. He did something to my feelings that I could never explain to anyone else, it was so out of this world how he could make me feel with just a few simple words and sweet kisses. I had never experienced anything like it.

'What were you saying about Elsee's room?' Sam asked coming up behind me and wrapping an arm around my towel covered body and I frowned, trying to remember.

That was hours ago now and, honestly, Sam could knock any thought out of my mind with a single deep kiss. It suddenly clicked.

'We need to decorate her room soon,' I said, smiling at him in the mirror.

I rested my head back against him and sighed as I studied us. We weren't one of those couples who you would immediately put together: I was so pale in comparison to his russet skin, I barely came up to his shoulder line, hence the heels I usually wore so kissing him wasn't such of a stretch, and there were hundreds of other things but that didn't matter to us. We loved each other in a love that would never go away or be changed or anything because it was imprinting - Sam was the one, he was mine and I was his, and we both knew it better than anything. We would always be together forever.

'She's probably going to be home soon,' I told him, spinning in his arms. 'We shoulder get dressed.'

Sam pulled a face and I tapped him on his bare chest. It wasn't fair that he hardly ever wore a top because it was thoroughly distracting. He lent down and kissed me but I pulled away.

'That's enough, Mister,' I teased lightly. 'We have a little girl coming home soon who doesn't need to walk in on her parents having sex and if she does you are going to explain it to her.'

'Her parents?' Sam repeated and I bit my lip, having never really referred to him in that relationship with Elsee.

'It's what you are right?' I wrapped my arms around him. 'Her father?'

'Right,' Sam grinned and picked me up bridal style.

'Put me down,' I yelped in surprise and he chuckled but just continued walking.

I rolled my eyes but allowed him to carry me. He set me sitting on the bed and lent down to place a chaste kiss on my lips. I smiled against him.

'Get dressed,' he grinned as he softly pulled away. 'Quickly, I think I hear Elsee.'

My eyes widened and I jumped up, running out the door, though I knew his hearing would hear her from miles away I wanted to be ready as soon as possible.

'Belle?' he called after me.

'We haven't cleaned up from the first time,' I said through clenched teeth as I looked around for my clothing - I had put different ones on the first time without really thinking about it so now there was a trail of clothing up the stairs from the lounge to our bedroom. Sam's eyes widened and it would have been funny if it weren't for the mess because it wasn't just clothing it was books and smashed vases and other pottery items covering the wooden floor, and picture frames that should have been on the wall on the ground. The lightshades on some of the wall lamps were lopsided - the place just looked like an absolute tip.

Sam moved at a speed that I could never manage in a million years. Not as fast as a vampire in his human form but much faster than the average human. He gathered my clothes and shoved them in my arms, kissing my cheek.

'Get dressed,' he muttered and I raised an eyebrow but turned anyway, heading back to our room

I excited the room a while later to find that Sam's speed had managed to make the room a bit more presentable in my absence and I quickly help him finished, hiding the broken shards until we could clean them up properly.

'Here they are,' Sam smiled over at me and I flittered to his side when he was standing by the door.

He opened it and I saw Jake opening the car door and helping our daughter out. Once she was out of hearing range a while later, Jake spoke.

'So you two break anything?' he chuckled, glancing around the room behind us as I blushed deeply and Sam whacked him round the head, effectively wiping the smug, knowing grin off his face.

**A nice smutty - it is smut isn't it? - chapter for you. I hope it's okay, I've never written one before and, since I'm fifteen, I'm still a virgin so no experience in this area of writing. **


	14. Chapter 14

'Hey, Bells,' Jacob grinned walking into the house the next day with Quil and Embry behind him.

'Perfect timing,' I smiled over my shoulder at them. 'I was just about to start cooking. You guys hungry?'

They all gave an affirmative answer and I rolled my eyes: when wasn't the pack hungry?

'Where's the rest of the pack?' I asked curiously knowing they were all together today, covering the grounds of La Push in groups.

'Just finishing up,' Quil told me with his normal impish grin, 'they'll be here soon.'

I smiled fondly over at him before turning to the fridge, for some reason ever since Sam had imprinted on me I felt very maternal over the pack as though it was my responsibility to make sure they weren't injured and took make sure that they ate and slept enough. It wasn't nearly as strong as my maternal feelings for Elsee but it was there.

Quil was right, it wasn't long before Jared, Paul and Leah came in and perhaps after another ten Seth and Sam entered the house as well. Sam walked straight over to me and kissed me gently before turning to the pack as I continued cooking.

'Anything?' I asked smiling over my shoulder at all of them squeezed around the kitchen table - we really needed to get a bigger one because while it was fine for Sam, Elsee and I, it wasn't nearly big enough when the pack piled into the house.

'Nah,' Sam replied. 'Quiet as always.'

I rolled my eyes as the some of the pack made noises of disappointment: it was like they wanted to get hurt and fight vampires who could possible kill them if they made the wrong move: I shuddered even thinking about it but, when Sam reached a hand out to rest on the small of my back, I surge of calm washed over me. Stupid as the wolves might be sometimes but they knew what they were doing. I began to turn back around to my cooking again when I saw Sam shaking his head at Jacob, with a glance at me.

'Sam?' I asked innocently, starting to put the different food in different bowls and plates. 'If something strange or weird was going on you would tell me right?'

I picked up two plates, balancing a third one, and turned to view the kitchen. The pack was sitting statue still all of them looking at Sam: subtle. Pretending I was obvious to this, I set the food on the table.

'Of course,' Sam sent me a charming half smile that I didn't trust.

'You know,' I mused as I crossed the room again to get another set of plates. 'What I hated about Edward was how he always lied to protect me … like I couldn't handle the news. It was so irritating … but you'd never do that right?'

I raised an eyebrow at him leaning against Leah's chair, it's occupant who was beginning to laugh slightly at my boyfriend's expression. He sighed heavily.

'Can I talk to you, Belle?' Sam gestured his head to the door and I smiled over at him satisfied.

'Seth, Elsee's watching TV in the lounge, making sure nothing happens,' I told my younger step-brother as I excited the kitchen door with Sam at my heels. Sam and I made our way down to the beach before I spoke. 'What's going on?'

Sam looked at the sky and then down at me.

'You remember, the other day you were telling me about your encounter with James, Victoria and Laurent because I asked about the bite mark on your hand?' he questioned me and I gazed up at him warily wondering where he was going with this. 'There's a black haired and red head vampire around -'

I gasped and slapped my hands to my mouth, my mind jumping crazily around for point to point - memories of James, of Laurent who was meant to go to Denali, of Victoria who had hunted with James, of vampires in general. Sam stepped forward and took my face in his large hands, hearing my heart speed up.

'It might not be them,' I rolled my eyes, of course it was then. 'Bella, if it is, I will not let them harm you, alright? They won't near you or Elsee.'

I shut my eyes and cured myself. _Why _did I come back to Forks, the place where James had found me, where Victoria knew I lived? Was I really that gullible that I thought she would leave me be? No, because I had made it a personal promise never to think about vampires and supernatural again. Just leave it behind and move on. It was different this time as well: I had Elsee who was even more helpless that I was.

Sam's arms pulled me into a warm hug whispering that everything would be alright but I wasn't so sure.


	15. Chapter 15

The pack was gone more often than not and Elsee missed Sam terribly - I did as well but I had work to distract me. I didn't think everything would be okay no matter how many time Sam told me it would because I had that horrible feeling in my stomach that told me something bad was about to happen and I was right.

About a week later, Sam was out of patrol with Jacob and Jared. It was the weekend so it was only Elsee and I in the house and there was a knock on the front door. I left Elsee playing and went to opened it.

'Hello, Bella,' a voice said and I raised my eyes and took in the grinning face of our visitor before I slammed the door shut in his face.

My breathing speed up as I sank down, leaning against the door. He was here … Elsee's father was here. Same shaggy blond hair, a mature face, same green eyes, same charming scoundrel grin that I had fallen for in the first place. Why was he here? Tears came to my eyes as I thought of Elsee in the other room. Did he know about her? Is that why he was here? Did he want to take her from me? Could he? He was banging on the door still, calling me to let him in, that he wanted to talk.

'Stay away from me,' I called out to him, standing and locking the door.

'Come on, Bella,' he complained. 'Let me in, I love you remember and I want to talk.'

'Go away,' I snapped back at him backing away slowly and sitting on the step; I couldn't stand up much longer: I was too scared.

After a while, I managed to get to my feet and walk round the house looking the doors and windows that he could climb though, looking Elsee and myself in the house. I then gathered Elsee in my arms and took her upstairs.

'Mommy, what's wrong?' she asked as we entered mine and Sam's room. 'Who wants to come in?'

'A man,' I told her honestly. 'He hurt me a long time ago and I don't want him to come in. I don't want him to know you're here, Elsee, okay? So I need to you to stay upstairs until he's gone, can you do that for me, Else?'

Elsee nodded up at me looking scared and I kissed her forehead, 'he won't hurt you, dear. Sam'll be home soon.'

I gasped as I heard glass breaking downstairs and Elsee almost screamed. The sound was followed by the turning of the lock on the inside of the lock and Elsee through herself at me.

'Stay and hide up here,' I told her and saw her slink under the bed as I tried to gather the courage and come and face my ex-boyfriend begging in my head for Sam to come home soon.

I excited the room slowly and stood at the top of the stairs. _He _was standing there, with his shirt wrapped around a bloody fist. The front door was open behind him and the window next to it smashed.

'Where is she?' he asked and I almost let out a sob. He knew. He knew about Elsee.

'Where's who?' I asked trying to control the fear on my voice. _Come on, Sam, please put that hearing to good use._

'My daughter,' he snarled, making his way up the stairs toward me. 'Where is she?'

'I have no idea what you're talking about, Chris,' I tried to play dumb but I think I was too scared to make it work.

'Tell me where the little brat is or we'll just have to conceive another one,' he threatened me, as he wrapped his arms tightly around my upper arms.

'Get of me,' I said calmly. 'Get your filthy hands off me.'

He squeezed tighter and I tried to not to wince in pain as he smirked.

'Tell me where she is,' he said again in the same tone of voice Sam sometimes used with the pack – command, 'or I will make you suffer.'

'Why?' I gasped. 'Why do you want to know where she is? She is not your daughter and she never will be'

I felt his hand leave my arm but it wasn't relief that followed but pain as he slapped it across my cheek. I landed on the floor at his feet and he got down as well, pinning my arms above my head as I felt tears well in my eyes.

'I've been in prison a _long _time, Bella, because of you,' he snarled into my face, 'and I have been very unsatisfied in one particular area' (his hand trailed down my cheek and I shivered in disgust beginning to struggle against him) 'and you, my dear girlfriend, are still extremely sexy.'

'I'm not your girlfriend,' I growled up at him, struggling even harder as his spare had moved to buttons on my blouse.

'Don't be like that, Bella,' he said softly before he lent down and kissed my neck, moving down my body as he undid my blouse and threw it open. He then reached into his back pocket and I screamed as he pulled out a gun. He slammed a hand to my mouth. 'You don't want to do that, Bella, it don't want to gag you because soon I want you to be screaming my name and this time' (he raised the gin to my temple as he let go of my hands) 'you are going to participate more.'

He kept the gun in hand and pulled my body up of the ground with his hand. I continued struggling till he put the gun in my face.

'Stop it,' he said, pressing it against my temple. 'Take off your shirt. NOW.'

Knowing I had no choice I slowly slipped my blouse down my arms, tears streaming down my face the whole time as I thought of what I was about to do to Sam, thinking about Elsee in the other room. He ripped it from my body and then unclasped my bra. I stayed perfectly still and tried to be somewhere_, anywhere_, else.

Just as Sam had done though a lot rougher and harsher, Chris began working on my breasts painfully. It was like he was trying to satisfy himself as much as possible but also hurt me as badly as he could at the Sam time. He moved on eventually and unbuttoned my jeans, laying the gun at my side. My eyes flickered to it as he began to pull down my jeans and pants at the same time.

'Sam!' I yelled and Chris's head snapped up and he reached for the gun. 'SAM!S-"'

I stopped talking as Chris put the gun back to my head and I just stared at him breathing heavily and crying my heart out.

'Shut up, you fucking whore,' he growled but I heard footsteps that he obviously didn't.

'Bella!' Sam's voice yelled and I almost cried out of in relief but the gun pointed at my head stopped me.

I turned my head away from Chris's face and squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them I was looking over the landing to the front door where Sam stood, his eyes wide.

'Help me,' I mouthed to him but his were already narrowing dangerously and making his way towards us.

The gun was pressed harder to my temple and I bit my lip as Sam froze, knowing the message: one step, she dies.

'Get away from her,' Sam's deep voice commanded and I could see his body shaking slightly

'Why would I do that?' Chris asked, grinning evilly. 'I'm just here to take back what's rightfully mine: my girl and my daughter.' - Sam's eyes widened marginally again as he realised who this was - 'and you, my friend, are just in the way.'

I wriggled as Chris moved the gun from my head to point at Sam.

'No!' I yelled as a shot fired from gun but it missed - just.

Chris cursed and I could tell Sam thought he was crazy - prison really had done something bad to him. However he now distracted so I jammed my knee up causing him to fall of me. I scrambled to my feet, pulling up my jeans as I did so. Sam was at my side in a second, kicking the gun over the landing where it went off again. I just wanted to wrap my arms around Sam but went and got my top layers, throwing them on quickly just in time because the gun shot had alerted the pack.

'Belle, call the police,' Sam told me softly though his gaze didn't leave my ex-boyfriend who was still lying on the floor, not daring to get up.

I went to our room and picked up the phone on the bedside table. Elsee scrambled out from the bed and being the clever girl she wasn't didn't say a word, keeping extremely quiet. She curled up next to me and wiped my tears away as I spoke to the police. Eventually, a while after I had called the police but before they arrived, Sam entered the room looking at me sadly. I was sure I looked a complete mess and glancing over at the mirror I noticed I looked terrible. My stinging cheek was red, my eyes blood shot, puffy and black from the mascara I had been wearing, tears tracks ran down my face and my hair was a complete mess not to mention my dishevelled clothes. There was a circular mark on my head which I assumed had been when Chris pressed the gun end against it.

Sam walked over and kissed my forehead before kneeling down in front of where Elsee and I were on the bed.

'Are you alright?' he asked softly, placing a hand on my cheek and I managed to nod. 'Elsee, where did you come from?'

'Under the bed,' she replied without her usual laugh or smile, she was still scared.

'Good girl,' Sam smiled tightly and held his arms around to her.

She flew into them without a thought and cried her fears away. Sam moved to sit beside me on the bed and I curled into his side, trying to stop my own shaking. It was hard when I could still hear Chris yelling at the pack not far from our bedroom door. Soon the police came and after answering a thousand question some over and over again. They left taking Chris with them and not long after that the pack left with a few comforting words expect Seth, Leah and Jacob.

Jake and Seth tried to keep Elsee distracted because Leah, by choice, was sitting by me. She sat at my side with her arm around my shoulder rubbing the top of it and her head rested on top of mine that was on her shoulder. I few tears trickled out my eye at times and spotted her shirt but she didn't seem to mind. It was strange, she always kept a distance from me but it was nice. Kind of like I imagined having a sister would be.

'It's going to be okay, Bells,' she told me softly, using my nickname. 'He won't get to you again, we won't let him and he'll never touch Elsee, I promise you. As your step-sister, I promise you.'

'Thanks, Leah,' I smiled at her taking a chance I wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her, really surprised when she returned it. There was a flash.

'Seth!' we both complained at the same time.

He just grinned at us unabashed as he put his phone back in his pocket, 'sorry but mum'll never believe it unless I have proof.'

Jacob laughed while Leah and I grumbled. I even heard Sam's laugh out of the landing. I wasn't really sure what he was doing but I decided I didn't want to. Slowly one by one the pack left and it was just my little family: Sam and Elsee. We went to bed early that night with Elsee cuddled in between Sam and I. She fell asleep quickly but I couldn't because every time I shut my eyes I could see Chris but it was also the fact that Sam had been a bit off with me all evening.

'Belle,' Sam's voice said eventually. 'You've got to get some sleep.'

'I can't,' I told him honestly and he pushed himself up onto one elbow to look at me.

'You know I love you, Belle,' he said softly, reaching over to me, 'so I mean this is the kindest way: you think too much, shut your mind up and get some sleep.'

I continued to just look at him and he sighed heavily, pushing himself into an upright position. I could tell he just wanted this day to be over already but wasn't going to sleep unless he knew I was okay.

'Go to sleep, Sam, really,' I smiled at him. 'I fall asleep eventually.'

He shook his head, 'what's going on in that pretty head of yours?'

I spoke without thinking.

'Are you angry at me?' I asked softly and he stared at me.

'Of course I'm not,' he replied. 'Bella, I love you. What happened today was not your fault; I have no reason be angry about. I'm just mad at your ex-boyfriend and if I seemed off it was because I was trying to control my phasing. I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you, I swear.'

I blinked at him a few time before accepting his genuine words, he lent forward and kissed me softly. It was warm and comforting and just made a feeling of safety wash over me.

'I love you, Sam Uley,' I told him when we broke apart.

He smiled at me as I snuggled back down into the warm bed next to my daughter. I felt his hand graze my cheek, leaving a trail of nicely burning skin before the bed moved slightly signalling that he was lying down as well. His arm draped across Elsee and I as though warding off any evil while we slept.

**Well, I was having a bad day and that usually influences my writing: I kinda feel sorry for Bella now.**


	16. Chapter 16

After another week it was Christmas and hopefully nothing would ruin this day for our family.

'Mommy!' Elsee's little voice yelled as the door swung open. 'Daddy!'

I saw a little body fly at Sam since I was reasonably awake, at the stage of pushing myself up on the bed. Five Christmas's of experience I had with this little girl. Sam made a noise as she landed on his chest and started bouncing.

'Daddy, wake up, wake up!' she laughed. 'It's Christmas, c'mon get up!'

Sam groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Elsee grinned and then launched herself at me, snuggling herself against my body.

'What time is it?' Sam's deep voice moaned as he pushed his body up.

'Around half six,' I laughed and he slumped back against the pillows and gave me an incredulous look while Elsee scrambled off my lap.

'Come on, come on,' she laughed, jumping towards the door.

'I'm going, Else,' I grinned and got out of bed, throwing my light dressing gown on before turning to face Sam. 'Welcome to being a dad.'

He groaned but a smile broke out on his face

'Come on,' I pulled on his hand. 'She'll come back if we don't go down soon and Merry Christmas, I love you.'

I kissed him gentle before heading toward the door. Elsee was already out of view from the landing and I hurried my way down the stairs and into the lounge to find her staring at a large bag of presents that hadn't been there the night before - presents that Sam and I had put there after she went to sleep but she didn't need to know that.

'Else, let's wait for Sam,' I laughed pulling her away from them and hugging her. 'Don't you have something to say to your mother?'

Elsee thought for a second before giving me a beautiful smile and exclaiming, 'Merry Christmas, Mommy!'

'Merry Christmas, my angel,' I laughed but Sam walked into room then and Elsee leapt away from me to jump into his arms.

Sam just caught her before pulling her more securely up, 'Merry Christmas, Princess, you start can start opening things now.'

'Yay!' Elsee grinned and began fidgeting in his arms before she ran off though once he put her on the ground she turned a pressed a kiss to his cheek. 'Merry Christmas, Daddy.'

I don't think had really gotten used to being called that since it had only been about a month but I could tell Elsee relished in calling him it. He moved to sit in a chair and perched on the arm of it causing him to wrap an arm around my waist as Elsee dived into her presents. We smiled at we watched her opening her presents before I left to get the camera. It was our first Christmas together as a family and I wanted record of it.

Eventually Elsee finished opening all her presents - which included the ones from "Santa", Sam and I, and members of the pack that we wouldn't see today - and brought one to me. Sam smiled at me as I patted her on the head in thanks and I realised it was from him. I unwrapped it to find a beautiful necklace and earring set that I loved and in thanks I kissed Sam deeply causing Elsee to laugh, I wondered how long it would be before she started disliking us being soppy around her.

Sam and I were hosting Christmas this year so around nine o'clock once the three of us had eaten breakfast and gotten dressed nicely, me wearing the presents from Sam, Jake and Billy arrived with their presents and it started all over again with all of us sitting in the lounge laughing and opening presents. Elsee, I realised with the pack, was going to be spoiled so badly.

At ten o'clock, Sue, Seth and Leah arrived. Leah and I had gotten on reasonably well since the attack, it was like we just needed something to break the thick ice between us and then we could be friends. I felt sorry for her though, she and Sam had ended so badly and now she was going to have to have him as her step-brother-in-law, not to mention she had to share thoughts with him when they were wolves. I would hate to have that.

By half ten we were in the pub on the reservation. Embry and his mother was there with some friends as well as Paul and his family so we had nice chats with them and others in friends in the pub before heading back home.

Sue and Leah helped me with the cooking. I had Jake and Sam set the dining table while Seth and Billy played with Elsee. The house was filled with laughter and the smell of food and I couldn't remember the last time I had such a busy Christmas: usually it was just me and Elsee and maybe a friend or two that had nowhere to go so being surrounded by family was different but a welcome change for us.

Lunch was at one o'clock and by the end of it Sue, Elsee and I were the only completely sober ones. None of them were completely drunk, nowhere near enough for Elsee to question, but they had had a few. It began to snow badly almost exactly after dinner so instead of cleaning up. I allowed Elsee to drag me outside, once I had put her coat on. She had never seen snow before expect on TV so she was a ball of energy. I still didn't like it very much but watching her run around and having a snow ball fight with her was perfect. We were joined by the rest of the family.

It was the perfect day. I smiled as I looked over at Elsee and Sam asleep on the sofa, Elsee curled up against her father, while I was cleaning up from the day. However, it was amazing how quickly things could go downhill.


	17. Chapter 17

Elsee ran to me as soon as I walked into the house in mid-January, Sam had picked her up from school, her big brown eyes filled with tears.

'Elsee!' I gasped as I dropped the bag containing my class's books and knelt down as she flew toward me.

Her arms wrapped tightly around my body and hugging her, I stood up, looking over at Sam curiously who had appeared out of a different room. He shrugged looking as confused as I felt.

'Elsee, honey,' I said calmly and soothingly as I walked past Sam and into the lounge. 'Do you want to tell me and Daddy what's wrong?'

'That's man's following me, I'm sure,' she cried once I had sat down, balling her little hands in the fabric of my top and I tensed causing Sam to place a hand on my shoulder. 'The mean man who hurt you, he was at school today during lunch.'

I sent Sam a panicked look.

'Did you talk to him?' I asked her in a hurry. 'Elsee, did you speak to him?'

'I didn't have a choice,' she said sounding so sorry it broke my heart. 'He had my arm.'

She rolled her sleeve up and showed me her arm. I pressed my lips together as Sam shook slightly causing the couch to shake a little. Marring my daughters creamy pale skin were finger shaped bruises. I ran my hand over them gently and she pulled away.

'Elsee, thank you for telling me, okay?' she looked up at me, tears now streaming down her young face. 'We're going to sort this out, I promise.' -My voice was shaking badly with tears - 'Go with your father for a minute.'

Sam glanced at me and seeing me falling apart at the seams he picked Elsee up gentle. They were barely out of the room when the first sob broke out. I could hear Sam walking up the stairs and buried my face in my hands, sobbing so hard that it hurt. As I sat there I realised that Chris would always be a threat to my happiness and to Elsee's safety and I had no idea what to do about it.

Sam came back down eventually and just wrapped me tightly in his arms.

'What are we going to do?' I asked him pathetically.

'Whatever it takes,' he told me in a whisper and, by his heavy breathing, I could tell he was trying to keep himself calm because he knew I needed him and being a wolf wouldn't help with that.

Now I knew he was following Elsee, I was more careful and a lot more observant, so I saw him and once I had I don't know how I missed him before. He liked to lean against the street light by Elsee's school or sit in a big car across the street. I never saw him move from those positions but apparently, Elsee would tell me at night, that he came over to the school fence and tried to speak to her during her recesses. She tried to keep her distance after that first night that he left bruises on her arm but I knew she was speaking to him if only because she was scared of him, which I knew she was.

I was so wary taking her out now but I knew I couldn't just lock her in the house; this wouldn't go away unless I did something about it. So today we were going to the park, Elsee was so happy. While she played I sat on a bench at the edge and read a book, though I glanced up constantly to check on her.

'Mommy!' Elsee's voice yelled out to me and I glanced up and wondered how things could have changed so quickly, it had looked up not even a minute ago. Most the other children playing were still in exactly the same place but Elsee had moved or been forced too.

Chris had her hand and was talking to her, or at least he had been until she called my name, he sent me a grin.

'Hello, Bella,' he said as I hurried over to them but he began walking, pulling Else allowing forcefully.

'Let her go, Chris,' I growled.

'Why should I?' he asked and I saw his grip tighten on Elsee's hand causing her to wince. 'She is _my _daughter as well, after all.' - Elsee froze in her struggling to pull her hand free and stared at me while Chris sent me an evil grin. Chris picked her up and it broke her out of her trance, she began fighting again. - 'Beautiful, too. So small and innocent, so easy to manipulate, I would guess. You know I might keep her.'

'Chris, let her go,' I repeated and really wished I was strong enough to something about it, to force him to let her go.

He just sent me that scoundrel grin again and pulled me closer to him, pressing his lips painfully on mine. I pulled away and slapped him round the face. He glared at me.

'That was a mistake, Bella,' it was his turn to snarl and I only now noticed that we had moved far away from everyone else and into the shade of some trees. My heart began to speed up nervously. 'A really _big_ mistake, you'll pay for that one but not now.'

As soon as he finished, he left Elsee fall and she landed face first in the mud. Moving quickly I pulled her to me and step in front of her. Her nose was bleeding badly as was her lip and her face was covered with dirt. I began leading her away, walking backwards so to keep an eye on but he stayed still, grinning.

'Take care of my baby girl, Bella, she's going to be useful to me one day,' I shuddered, not knowing what he meant by that but hurried back towards the car.

'Bella?' a voice asked and the musicality of it told me it wasn't human but it was so calming and familiar that I knew exactly who it was.

'Carlisle!' I turned in relief, picking up Elsee so she couldn't get pulled away when I wasn't looking. 'You guys are still here?'

Alice and Emmett hadn't been in their lessons for weeks and since I hadn't heard anything from Carlisle, Esme or Edward I had assumed they left.

'Not the point,' he replied, his eyes skating over Elsee's face. 'Are you two alright? What happened?'

I shook my head, glancing back at the trees, 'can we talk somewhere else?'

'Came back to the house with me and I'll have a look at Elsee,' Carlisle practically ordered, opening his car door which I realised we were standing next to and I wonder if he pulled over when he saw us. 'The others are there but …'

'It's fine,' I shrugged as best I could with Elsee in my arms, I would take even Edward over being in a hundred mile radius of Chris any day because at least he would never physically harm Elsee.

He smiled though he was still frowning slightly and we all got in his Mercedes. He drove fast back to that white house and carried Elsee into the house for me. He took her upstairs to cheek on her but I just sunk onto the sofa, my face buried in my hand trying to hold back tears. I felt the sofa sink beside me and felt a hand rub my hand comfortingly but I didn't look up to see which Cullen it was. Jasper must have been in the room though since calm seemed to wash over me like a wave of peace and safety.

Eventually I managed to get control of myself enough to look up and to my surprise I saw Rosalie next to me with a sympathetic look on her beautiful face. Emmett was leaning against the way behind her, smiling sadly at me and Jasper and Alice were on the stairs. Edward and Esme were the only ones I didn't know the location of.

'She'll be okay, Bella,' Rosalie said. 'What happened?'

'Tell us _everything_,' Alice added

I shook my head again but then thought about it, I need advice so why not get it from people who had been alive for years. Carlisle could hear from where ever he was with Elsee and then she wouldn't have to hear it. So I told them my story from when they left me

I started when I moved back to Arizona, meeting Chris and how he seemed so kind and loyal, and then onto how he changed and raped me, how it made me closed off for a while. I told them about my mom and Phil, and eventually got to Charlie. It moved onto how I moved back to Fork and Sam imprinted on me, to the event with Chris not even a month ago yet, to his new obsession with me and Elsee and then finally to what happened today. Rosalie seemed to relate to what I was saying the most and I wondered what had happened in her human life. Esme had come in not long after I began speaking and she was sat next to me and Edward came in near the end but I ignored him.

'I don't know what to do,' I told them. 'I'm so paranoid now and I'm constantly frightened. I hate that Elsee has to go to school where neither Sam nor I can keep an eye on what's happening and I hate that I'm not strong enough to do anything if it does. I can't let him get to her. I have no idea what he's capable of anymore and I honestly don't want to find out.'

'Isabella,' Carlisle's voice said as he came down the stairs with Elsee at his side, she looked much better now so obviously she hadn't broken anything though I could see a bad gash on her lip, 'you need to file a restraining order against him.'

I gestured for Elsee to come to me and moved my gaze to Carlisle before I took a deep breath and nodded. I hadn't wanted to go that far but if Carlisle said it was necessary then it probably was. Elsee crawled into my lap and pressed herself as close to me as she could get. We all sat in silence for a few minutes until my phone rang from my bag which I had left by the door.

'That's Sam,' I said generally before I turned to Elsee.. 'Sweetie, get you get up please so I can answer the phone. Just go to Esme or Rosalie, please.'

She knew Esme so she shifted from my lap on Esme's who wrapped her arm protectively around her and I jogged slightly to the phone.

'We're okay,' I told Sam as soon as I answered the phone without even saying hello. I looked out the window and realised that we should have been hours ago. 'We just … got held up. We'll be home soon, I have something I want to talk to you about.'

'You sound off,' Sam voice said. 'Are you sure you're alright?'

'Yeah,' I tried to smile though he couldn't see it. 'I'll explain when I get back.'

'Alright, I love you.'

'Love you too.'

I turned to find the whole Cullen family looking at me and I raised an eyebrow. They all looked away. I left as soon as I could not wanting to worry Sam any more than I already had. He was wound tight with Victoria and Laurent, who had gotten badly close to the house last night, and Chris being around on top of his normal duties and I was sure he was going to snap soon if he didn't calm down and relax for a little while. It was strange though because I was more scared of Chris than the two vampires after me.


	18. Chapter 18

Once I had tucked Elsee into bed at home, I went downstairs to Sam, who sitting and staring at the fire. He didn't seem to notice my entrance and when I curled up beside him the only sign that he was aware of me was his arm slipping around me.

'Sam, I'm scared,' I whispered after a while and he finally turned to look at me, his brown eyes soft and his face marred in worry and concern.

'Why?' he asked, shifting slightly to face me easier.

'We ran into Chris at the park,' I said and Sam growled, 'and he said to me to take care of his baby girl because she's going to be useful to him one day and he told that I was going to pay for slapping him. He was holding her, Sam, had the completely ability to just walk away with her and he threated to. I was late because he dropped her purposely and she was bleeding. Carlisle was passing and we went back there so he could look at her. He thinks we should get a restraining order and I think I agree with him.'

I stared up at Sam who was studying my face carefully, no doubt waiting for the tears the stress of the day would bring most people but I had ready cried myself out at the Cullen's all I felt like doing now was sleeping.

'I do too,' he agreed eventually. 'Well, look into it tomorrow, I promise.'

He must have picked up on my tiredness because he scooped me up into his arms and began to make his way upstairs. I was asleep before we even got up there.

When I got up the next day, Sam wasn't in bed next to me but he rarely was these days because most nights he had patrol. I think he slept while Elsee and I were at school because I had found him more than one time asleep when we walked in sometimes on the couch which was really too short for him to sleep on and I hated when he slept there sure he was going to injure himself somehow and other times in bed. I rolled out of bed and grabbed my robe, glad we were at the weekend again though I'd have to go to work tomorrow.

I poked my head in Elsee's room to find she was still fast asleep as I passed her room before going downstairs. I frowned as I heard noise coming from the office on my way toward the kitchen and went back on myself slightly to find Sam on his laptop wearing the same clothing from last night.

'Sam?' I whispered. 'When was the last time you slept?'

He turned to look at me and seemed to actually need to think about, 'Wednesday afternoon, I think.'

'Sam,' I scolded. 'You've got to sleep; you're going to run yourself crazy.'

'I don't need as much sleep as you do, Belle,' he smiled softly and turned to face me completely.

I sighed and moved towards him, sitting his lap, 'maybe not, but you should still sleep more than you are. It's Sunday, Sam.'

'I know,' he sighed, 'but I just can't seem to sleep. Don't worry about me though, I'm fine.'

'You're going to end up walking around like a zombie, Sam, that's not fine,' I disagreed. 'Now, are you hungry?'

'Starving,' he chuckled.

'When are you not?' I rolled my eyes and lent forward pressing a sweet kiss to his lips before I disappeared into the kitchen.

The scent of bacon must have woken Elsee up because she entered the kitchen not long after I started seeming sad.

'What's wrong, Else?' I asked her not pausing in my cooking stupidly assuming it was something small.

'Sam's my daddy,' she said firmly and I smiled.

'I know, honey,' I smiled over my shoulder at where she had started setting the table for breakfast - my perfect little angel.

'That monster will never be,' she said and I froze, my eyes flickering closed. 'He may be by blood but I don't like him, I am not his daughter.'

'Of course you're not, Angel,' I said pausing in my cooking for a second to gently take her hand. 'You're Sam's little princess, Sam's daughter, and nothing _that man _does is going to change that. Your daddy and I are going to make sure of that. He won't come near you again but if he does I need you to tell me. You can do that, can't you, Else?'

She nodded and after kissing her forehead, I turned back to my cooking, not noticing Sam in the doorway of the kitchen.

'Elsee,' he called, his deep voice making me jump. 'Sorry, Bella. I want to tell you something, come with me.'

Sam met my eyes over her head and I realised he was going to tell her about the whole wolf thing. I nodded and smiled lovingly at him. Elsee deserved the trust so she didn't caught by surprise like she did about Chris yesterday.

Later that day, we went and got the forms from the court house and I began to fill them out. I gathered/made copies of the forms from the rape back when I was eighteen, the medical ones and the police reports, things from when he came to the house this time, pictures Carlisle had taken of Elsee and a report he had written for me once he had told me what he thought I should do. I found a picture of Chris and we sent all of that off. I felt good: I was finally doing something to protect my family.

The next day came a letter that the judge accepted my petition for a restraining order and that there would be a hearing in about two weeks. It would be February by then. Sam went and found Chris, which wasn't too hard since you just had to go to Elsee's school, to give him the papers about it that the court house had sent for us to give to him. I wasn't allowed to and I really didn't want to be anywhere near him so that was fine by me.

Eventually the day of the hearing came and I presented a testimony, I brought with me the actual evidence again - the photos and reports and records - and Chris was allowed to present his side of the story as well but with so much evidence against him it was useless.

By the end of it, Chris was restricted to not come within 100 yards of Elsee or me, I had sole custody of her and he was not allowed to contact us at all, anywhere. He wasn't even allowed to see Elsee and when I heard that I felt like Jasper had just sent me a wave of relief though he wasn't near it was just the strength of my relief and he had to pay a bit towards her.

That night I slept through the night, feeling safer in my own home. At least we had dealt with one of our problems now we just need to deal with the vampire one. Elsee had taken the news of Sam being a werewolf really well, the part of her that found it cool was the largest part and she wasn't scared at all. She had said she felt either safer now knowing that Daddy could protect us no matter what. We had told her about the rest of the pack and though she was confused, like all of us, why Leah was the only girl that phased she didn't mind them either. Everything was falling into place.


	19. Chapter 19

I had thought Sam might relax now that Chris was less of a problem but I was wrong. He threw himself even further into the hunt for Victoria and Laurent so much so that Elsee and I barely saw him. We saw the pack. I felt at the weekend's I was nothing by cooking for them and I wondered countless time what they did for food while I was at work because I was sure none of them could cook if their lives depended on it. However, Sam being gone would last long.

I was staring out of the window late one night around the end of February around the twenty-fifth, just thinking about how my boyfriend should be out there somewhere. His midnight black cloak would camouflage him well if it wasn't for the abilities of vampire sight. However my thoughts were drawn from those thought when I caught the slightest movement in the trees lining the end of the garden. I stiffened and tried to focus my eyes in the darkness but I couldn't see anything.

I flicked the outdoor light on and went back to the window and let out an irritated sigh. It was just Sam running towards this house still in his wolf form, the black coat had been thinking about moments earlier blending into the night.

'You scared the hell out of me,' I called to him as I heard the door open and shut.

Sam sped into the room, 'why does it smell like vampire in here?'

'I swear, no Cullen's have been here,' I playfully raised my hands but then thought about what he said.

If it smelled like vampire in here and it wasn't Carlisle's, the only vampire who had ever been in our house, then that must mean… Elsee screamed and, after sharing a panicked glance, Sam and I sped up the stairs.

'Pretty girl,' Victoria cooed, holding our daughter at her side with her hair and I cursed, why did everyone in my past have to take it out on my innocent daughter who knew nothing as to what was going to on?

'Mommy!' Elsee screamed as Victoria pulled on her but Sam grabbed me before I could take a step.

He sent me a look and knowing what he doing I moved away from him. He began shaking and eventually exploded into a wolf. The room was big enough so that the action hadn't ripped any of us to pieces. I saw Elsee bit her lip so she didn't scream at the sight of her father literally morphing into a giant wolf. She knew he could but seeing it was a different thing, I knew.

Sam snarled a horrible, echoing noise and Victoria slowly let go of Elsee, who ran to my side the first chance she had and I pulled her from the room. Two more wolves were standing just outside the house, I could see them through the window and ran to them I having no idea who they were until I got closer up. It was the dark silver wolf which memory served me as Paul who looked me over with his dark, intelligent eyes as though assessing me and Elsee for any harm on us. The other one I thought was Quil since he was a chocolate brown colour and I remembered Sam joking that it resembled his sweet personality in return getting that jab that he was black because his heart and soul were, which resulted in a round of 'oohs' from the pack. He nuzzled his head against my shoulder and I rubbed his ear when he let out a sound of worry.

'We're fine,' I assured him before glancing up at the house where I could hear hissing and snarling. 'Is Sam?'

Quil lowered his great head in a nod and I smiled at him. Though then it seemed the pleasantries were over as they began circling me and Elsee. Paul howled at one point causing Elsee to cover her ears and it wasn't long before it was echoed around the reservation.

I saw a great russet wolf, even bigger than Sam, leap out the forest with a head in its mouth and I shivered as I thought that was Jacob with, most likely, Laurent's head in his mouth. He dumped that, looked at Elsee and I for a few minutes being circled by two of his pack members for protection before disappearing back into the forest, probably for the rest of Laurent's body. Embry spun into the area from the direction of his house, he was grey with dark spots that made him easily identifiable, and Jared was not long after him, brown with his dark mask. Seth and Leah were the last to arrive and they appeared in the middle of the road, Seth gangly still in his sandy wolf form and Leah the smallest of the pack but a beautiful grey colour.

There was a smash and we all looked up to see Victoria launching herself out the window but freezing when she realised, while she may have got closer to her prey and out of Sam's clutches, she had just launched herself into a circle of them. She turned and ran but I knew she had no chance of escaping from them. Quil stayed with me as they chased of after her but knowing that Laurent was dead and Sam in the house making his way down, I gestured my head for him to go after them. He licked my face from bottom to top before taking off after them leaving me to laugh while wiping my face and my sleeve. Elsee giggled at me.

'Are you going with them?' I asked as a human Sam left the house and walked straight towards us.

'Nah, I let them have their fun,' he shrugged pulling me closer to him. 'They'll howl is they failed and she heads back this way. Are you alright, Elsee?'

'Fine, Daddy,' she replied and I let Sam take her from my arms, she was getting heavy anyways. 'My heads hurts a bit.'

'I bet,' he sighed, hugging her tightly as Jacob appeared.

'Well, the leech with the treads is dead,' he said with a grin, walking towards us. 'And the last thought I heard was that Paul had hold of the red head so I doubt she'll get away - should I light the body?'

'Yeah, we'll add the woman's when they bring her back,' Sam said not noticing me staring at him with my eyes to shut up.

'Daddy!' Elsee yelped and Sam's eyes shut in dread, having forgotten the innocent ears listening in to what he was saying with Jacob.

_That was going to take some explaining,_ I cringed lightly, shaking my head slowly when Sam looked at me sheepishly. Patting him on the shoulder in good luck as I headed back into the house and to Elsee's room to examine the mess they had undoubtable made.


	20. Chapter 20

Finally everything went back to normal when I saw Sam at least every day and slept beside him most nights unless it was his turn to patrol during the nights. But everything was so calm now, it was almost like we were a normal family: Chris hadn't be seen since the court hearing, no more vampires had come wondering across the packs path and Sam and I were finally comfortable in our own home once again. Elsee meeting her biological father had only driven her more toward Sam and despite only knowing him since later September (it was now February) she was becoming a total daddy's girl, making our little family unit seem so strong.

It was Valentine's Day soon and since Jake had no date he was taking Elsee for Sam and I while we went it out. I had no idea what Sam had planned but I knew it was something: I hated surprises, that would never change I was sure. I wasn't sure why I hated it so much, whether it was the not knowing part of it or whether it was an experience I had had when I was little I wasn't sure but I really wanted to know sometimes. Even though I hated surprises I was quite excited though underneath the dread.

'Where are you taking me now?' I asked Sam as we got back into car after dropping Elsee off at Jacobs.

'You should stop asking because I'm not going to tell you,' Sam chuckled as he drove and it wasn't long before I realised we were taking the hour and a half long drive up to Port Angeles .

Eventually Sam pulled the car to a stop and I looked out surprised to see the restaurant where I had realised I was in love with him in, the place where we had had our first date-come-family outing. While I was debating what we were doing back here Sam had gotten out and made his way round the car, opening to door from. I allowed him to help me out before I linked my arms with his and we entered the restaurant.

'What are we going here?' I asked laughing lightly.

'I figured that technically we never had our date here,' Sam smiled over at me. 'So, how about a redo?'

'A redo sounds perfect.'

It was packed full of couples but it was laid out in such a way that it didn't look overly crowded. A waiter led us to a table and offered us wine. We chattered easily once we had ordered, Sam and I weren't like normal 3/4 month couples - I could barely believe that was all it had been now, I felt like I had been with for longer because I had such trust in him, such love and faith. Perhaps it was the imprinting that made Sam and I jump through the relationship stages, though I was amazed that we hadn't had a massive fight yet. I mean, we'd had spats and little arguments over stupid things that blew over in a second but never a full out fight.

Though it was Valentine's Day, the date was just like every other dinner one we had had over our months together.

'What are you thinking?' I asked Sam as the waiter took our dessert plates away and Sam just stared into the distance seeming looked in a deep thought.

'Big things,' he replied, wrinkling his nose teasingly at me. 'Important things.'

'Like?' I asked, smiling at him.

'Like if I asked you to marry me whether you would say yes,' he said in a casual tone and I stared at him with my smile gone and my mouth open.

'What?' I asked, positive I had misheard his words until he slipped down to one knee in front of me.

'Bella, I love you more than anything - except maybe Elsee' I almost laughed as my smile returned to my face at his words 'and I know it soon, _really soon, _but I don't want, and never will want to, live another day without you. You and the little girl you brought into my life have become the centre of my universe and one of the few things I actually care about.

'I love you, Belle, because you're different, you're tough, and beautiful and charming and so perfect. You're so amazing and I can't imagine my life without you in it anymore. I promise to love you and Elsee for the rest of my life and to protect you from what I can so will you, please, marry me?'

The whole restaurant had gone silent awaiting my reply and, though I had gone bright red, I nodded, 'of course I will. Yes.'

Sam grinned up at me as everyone clapped and slipped the right, a beautiful silver piece with an emerald (Elsee's birthstone) in the centre with diamond accents, onto my finger. I looked at it for second before pulling him with his tie toward me so I could kiss him.

'_Really soon_ is an understatement,' I laughed in his ear as I hugged him, 'but I don't care. I love you.'

Sam's arms tightened around me before we pulled apart placing one last kiss to my lips.

'Elsee will be happy,' I giggled slightly imagining Elsee's face when we tell her.

'About that,' Sam said awkwardly. 'What would you say to me adopting her when we get married? Can I?'

I stared at him. He was full of requests tonight that he had to already know the answer to; I leant across the table and kissed him again.

'Of course, that would be perfect!' I beamed over at him, suddenly feeling as if everything _was _actually falling into place. 'It's just, are we were going to be able to get Chris to sign away the last of his rights… Elsee would love that though and so would I. I can't believe you want to, I thought you'd just stay her step-father.'

'Yeah, Chris might cause some problems,' Sam frowned.

'Let's not worry about him,' I said, my beaming smile still of my face. 'He can't wreck this.'

'Definitely,' Sam agreed.

We had some champagne after that, quite a bit of it though not enough so Sam wouldn't be able to drive, and then we drove home. Jake was keeping Elsee for the evening so Sam and I continued our evening out on the beach, Sam's radiating heat keeping me nice and warm, before we went back into the house… and things escalated from the sitting on the couch quickly.


	21. Chapter 21

The next day was full of telling people, the pack with the exception of Leah, Seth and Jake burst into our house early in the morning, far too early for my liking and spent the morning irritating Sam and I with bad jokes and jabs. Eventually I managed to shoo them out but then we had to and get Elsee but that wasn't as bad. Jake wrapped me in a big hug and we told Billy the news, he was so happy for us. Especially happy I could tell that the daughter of his best friend was now definitely free of the vampires.

We told Elsee down at the beach and she screamed in happiness, it must have taken at least half an hour to calm her down and then she continued firing questions at us. She insisted that we go and tell Sue, Seth and Leah although the latter two already knew.

'Let me see your hand,' Leah grinned as soon as we walked through the front door. I raised my right hand. 'The other one, you dork.' - I raised my hand into her grasp laughing ever so slightly, I loved the relationship Leah and I had fallen into now. - 'It's beautiful. Wow, Sam, do you actually have taste?'

I snorted at Sam's affronted face though we all knew he was joking but then it dropped.

'That's my mum's ring,' I turned to face him and smiled up at him though I was surprised, since he hated his dad, that he would give me the ring that man had given his mother but I had the sense not to say it. Leah, however, didn't.

'You hate your dad,' she frowned and a shudder ran through Sam.

I sent her look and took my hand from her grasp to place it on Sam's chest just as Sue walked through the door with Seth. Seth had a large grin on his face.

'Maybe you don't have a black heart, Sam,' he chuckled. 'We're going to have to find a new reason for your coat colour.'

Sounds of amusement were made before Sue spoke up, 'what's going on?'

'Sam and Bella have news,' Leah grinned almost sung as she turned to face her mother.

Sam and I exchanged a glance before I held up my left hand in her direction so the lightly flashed across the gems on the ring causing it to sparkle. Sue just stood there for a minute before she laughed and hugged me tightly. Taking my hand and admiring the ring as Leah hand. While she was doing that I saw Seth clap same on the shoulder and I distinctly heard the words, "you break her heart, I break your face" and I laughed. At least someone was protecting me in this, I winked over at Seth and he sent me his cheerful grin in return.

'Are you happy, Else?' Leah asked Elsee picking her up and spinning her around. Elsee giggled and nodded. Leah turned back to Sam and I. 'Have you told Allison yet?'

My stomach dropped at the mention of Sam's mother. I had never actually met her but obviously Sam had told her enough that she would happily give her ring to me or maybe she only gave it to him because she saw how happy he was. I was terrified of meeting her; I'd always thought I would before we got engaged.

'No,' Sam's voice dragged me back to the conversation as he placed a hand on my back. 'We're going to go and tell her now. Right, Belle?'

I turned to look at him to find that he was staring at me, scrutinising my reaction to this. He sent me a reassuring smile no doubt reading the fear and apprehension in my eyes. We said slowly said goodbye and then left heading back to La Push.

'Don't worry, Belle, she'll love you,' Sam assured me taking my hand across the gear box.

I bit lip not completely believing him, 'does she know about-'

'The wolf?' Sam finished for me. 'No, that's made our relationship really strained. So this may seem really quick to her but don't worry. Seriously, Belle, she likes you already.'

'Okay,' I tried to calm myself down but it was impossible. Eventually we arrived at a house not far from Jake and Billy's and standing in the window was a woman: she was beautiful but I knew she would be. She had long flowing black hair, russet skin and large eyes. Sam didn't look that much like her but there were bits of her in him, he must take after the father that he hates so much. She looked up when she saw our car before moving away from the window.

'Sam!' she called making her way down the stairs.

'Hi, Mom,' Sam smiled over at her as he helped Elsee out of the car since she was sitting on that side.

She, like me, was so short next to Sam but then everyone was really who wasn't in the pack. She gasped as the sight of Elsee and then her eyes jumped to me leaning on the roof of the car. She smiled at Sam happily and I made my way round the back of the car to see that Elsee had attached herself to Sam's hand and was hiding slightly behind him. I held in a laugh as I ruffled her hair.

'Mom, this is Bella and Elsee Swan,' Sam introduced us causing his mother's face to burst out in a smile. 'B-'

'Well it's about time, son,' Mrs Uley rolled her eyes at her only son. 'It's a pleasure to _finally _meet you, Bella, my son's told me a great deal about you and your daughter.'

'I can assure you, Mrs Uley, the pleasure's all mine,' I smiled back at her and I really could, she seemed fun.

She laughed and hugged me before kneeling down to Elsee's level, 'you are even more beautiful than my son described.'

Elsee blushed deeply and I smiled. This was actually going really well, much better than I expected.

'See,' Sam whispered in my ear, 'nothing to be frightened off.'

I rolled my eyes but smiled up at him anyway as I watched his mother fuss over our little girl, Sam's princess and my little angel.

'So, Bella, tell me about yourself,' Allison said as we sat down for lunch a while later.

Elsee was completely at ease with this woman already settled into calling her Grandma to Allison's surprise and she had insisted I called her by her first name because apparently we're, she had cast a look at the ring on my finger, going to be family soon.

'Like what?' I asked with a smile, unsure where to start.

'Like what do you do for work? Sam told me you work up in Forks.'

'Um, yeah, I'm a teacher at the High School,' I told her. 'I teach English Literature.'

'And you enjoy it?' it sounded more like a statement than a question but I nodded.

'Very much so.'

Dinner ended up a bit like and interview. Allison was shooting questions at me so fast that I barely even thought about the answer to them and had no idea what I'd said as soon as I shut my mouth. So things were big, some small, some personal, a lot about Sam and I, like what I did to entrance her unwilling to date son. That one was hard because I didn't do anything really, Sam had imprinted on me and looked at him with a smile.

'I don't really know,' I had said. 'Sam? Care to weigh in?'

He turned slowly to look at me and then to his mother, who had her eyebrows raised, 'you were you.'

I rolled my eyes with a grin and Allison laughed a little.

'Well who else would she be?' Allison asked and Sam shrugged.

'Isn't that enough with the twenty questions, Mom,' he said trying to worm his way out and save me from answering anymore questions. 'You two have barely eaten I thing, Elsee over here's finished.'

'So she is,' I grinned over at my daughter and her clean plate. 'Was that nice, Else?'

'So nice,' she smiled. 'Thank you, Grandma.'

I could tell Alison, like Sam, was still not used to the family term by her, though now Sam had gotten used to it and answered to her without thought. Allison smiled down at her.

'You're quite welcome, sweetie. It's nice to have company,' she added sending her son an evil look and I pressed my lips together in amusement. 'I don't get it very often.'

'We'll come a lot,' Elsee promised. 'I used to see Grandma Renee _every _weekend before she died.'

I flinched slightly and Sam's hand moved to rest on my knee while Allison shot me sympathetic look. It was a long time ago now, Elsee had only been two at the time so I was surprised she remember those visits, but thinking of my hare-brained mother still caused a stab on pain in my heart. I'd always imagined she would die of old age or at the very least in one of her crazy activities. It had never crossed my mind that she would just get unlucky and by killed with her husband by a drunk driver.

Though Sam said the Allison might think everything was happening too fast she seemed perfectly at ease and over the moon at her sons engagement and she seemed to like me well enough, adored Elsee but then who didn't. We spent the rest of the day with her and by the end of it I felt perfectly comfortable with her.


	22. Chapter 22

Sam and I sat down a few weeks, Elsee was at school but the high school had a training day so I was off, and since we wanted to get married as soon as possible we started thinking about it. We had already set a budget and were now thinking about the guest list when someone knocked on the door. I went and opened it.

'Can I help you?' I asked the tall man standing in the door way and he frowned at the sight of me.

'No,' he replied shortly. 'I'm sorry, I was looking for Sam Uley, I must have the wrong house.'

'Oh, no,' I reached out as he began to turn away from the door. 'Sam's my fiancé, you have the right place. Do you want me to get him?'

The man's eyebrows rose at my explanation of who Sam was to me, though a thrill went through me at saying it, before the pulled down and he fixed a small smile on his face that I was pretty sure was fake.

'Already here,' Sam chuckled coming up behind me.

He turned the corner of the door since the front door blocked the view to the living room when you opened it and, luckily, I glanced back at him. He had taken one look at the man and began to shake violently. My eyes widened I pushed the man away from the door and followed him outside leaving Sam to explode in the house. I cringed as I heard things smash.

'You must be Joshua,' I turned to the man I had pushed out the door, who seemed pale under his russet skin, and crossed my arms.

He smiled Sam's smile at me, 'I just wanted to see how my son had grown up, I didn't and don't want any trouble.'

He started to defend himself before I could accuse him of anything. I glared up at him. This was the man who had abandoned his son and wife when said soon was only eight because he couldn't deal with the stress of family. Sam had taken on his father's role in this house from that time and it had made him, like me, mature beyond his years. I can hear Sam growling still but he could have been standing still for how quiet everything else was - it amazed me that Sam could be like a shadow in his wold form, and human actually, despite his size. A snarl had ripped from the house at Joshua's first statement. God, why was everyone coming back at once? We had barely just got rid of Chris, the Cullen's were still around (at least I thought they were, I couldn't be sure) and now Joshua had appeared. It was like it was a conspiracy.

'I take it the legends are true then,' Joshua said weakly, staring at the front door which I had shut behind us but I wasn't speaking. I just stood there with my arms crossed, glaring. 'Come on. At least tell me that. Is my son a wolf because it sure as hell sounds as though one is in there?'

It was taking all my strength not to growl out that Sam was hardly his son despite the biological link but I managed to hold it in.

'Bella!' Jake's voice called from the tree line and I realised that he must have been on patrol and heard Sam's thoughts. He ran towards me and leant down to whisper in my ear. 'Get him out of here, Sam's pissed inside. You might want to go calm him down. It's … interesting to see you, Mr Uley.'

With that said, Jacob ran off again and I smirked - interesting was one word for this encounter. Joshua opened his mouth.

'Shut up,' I snapped before he could speak, pushing him back. 'Let me make one thing quite clear. My fiancé doesn't want to see you so stay away from him and Allison. You've been amazing at doing that all these so go away and leave them in peace.'

Sam's growling was getting quieter so I assumed he was calming down by Joshua didn't move, 'go on. I want you out of here. Get off our property and don't come back.'

'I just want to see my son,' Joshua tried to reason with me but I had little pity for him at the moment.

'Look, I've had a really bad few months so I'm rather short of patience at the moment,' I told him in a dangerous tone. 'Sam doesn't want to see you and if he did he would contact you. You have no right showing up on our doorstep, unannounced, after what you did. Stay away from him.'

I stalked away from him and, warily, entered the house. He really hated being stuck in the house when he phased. He was reasonably calm now so I placed a hand on his fur causing his great wolf head to look at me. He nuzzled against me cats did when they wanted fussing and I laughed, scratching his nose. He let out a throaty chuckle so I knew Joshua must have left and he was calming down. I placed a kiss on his muzzle moving my hand to stroke his neck. It was like having a massive dog in front of you. Eventually I stopped petting him and just hugged the giant wolf version of my fiancé.

Eventually he was calm enough to transform back and while he went upstairs to get dressed, I gathered up the shreds of fabric around the room. There wasn't much I could do about the broken mirror apart from sweeping up the pieces and move the frame. I looked over at the door to see several claw marks. If I hadn't have moved those marks would have been on me, I shivered at the thought, more for Sam though than myself.

'At least the door survived,' I called up to Sam and heard him chuckle in reply.

'I suppose that's a good thing, it would get a bit chilly for you and Elsee without it.'

'Oi!'

He laughed again but this time it was closer, I turned around to see him coming down the stairs and smiled brightly up at him. He wrapped his arms around me when he reached me and lent his forehead against the top of my head.

'What does he want?' he complained sounding younger than I'd ever heard him.

'To see you,' I answered him honestly.

'I gathered,' Sam said and I could tell he was frowning. 'Why though? He never wanted me back then so why does he care now?'

'Maybe he has regrets about his choice,' I shrugged moving so I could looking into his eyes. 'Maybe he's realised his mistake and wants to see how you managed without him - which you did amazing, I might add.' (Sam smiled weakly) 'What do you wanna do, Sam? I'm behind you whatever you choose.'

Sam raised an eyebrow, 'I don't know. I've spent so many years hating him for leaving me, for what he did to my mom when he left but a small part of me kind of wants to see why, to see what he's really like not just try and get it from stories about him.'

'You want closure,' I concluded simply.

'Is that crazy?' he asked and I shook my head.

'Makes completely sense but don't get hurt,' I assured him and he grinned at me slightly pressing a kiss to my lips.

'Seriously, I'm not going to get attached enough to be hurt by him,' he said it so firmly that I nearly believed him but I couldn't completely believe him when I knew that a lot of people do despite not meaning to.

'You have one problem though, Sam,' I smiled. 'You can't be around him without phasing.'

Sam snorted and I think that was an agreement, 'I don't know if I'm going to though. What do you think?'

'I think if you don't, you're always going to wonder,' I told him what I honestly thought because I knew that was what he needed, he didn't want me to lay out arguments for either side, he just wanted a statement.


	23. Chapter 23

When I return home the next day from school with Elsee, it was to find my fiancé pacing the back garden angrily with Paul and Jared surrounding him and I sighed heavily shaking my head: for Alpha, Sam was terrible at controlling his temper. I left the three of them alone and sat down at the kitchen table to read the note I found on the front door addressed to "the future Mrs Uley" in a scruffy handwriting.

_I have no idea what your name is and that makes me realise how much I have missed in my sons life. I know I don't deserve a second chance after I abandoned him and his mother when I got too much for me and not coming back sooner. It was the worst mistake of my life and I wish I could take it back. _

_I'm sorry to say that I came back to see Sammy today while you were a work and, if he hasn't phased back yet, that is why he's a wolf again. It pains me to know how much my son hates me but I guess I deserve it completely but I beg you to ask Sam to give me a chance. I want to make it up to him and I have no idea how or if it's even possible for him to let me in again. _

_We were close when he was younger, play baseball in the park on the weekends, but then money became too stressful and besides those days at the weekend I was a terrible father. Sam was honestly probably better off without me and I'm sure as his fiancée you agree and I do admit to having an affair with Tiffany Call once to try and relieve the tension a bit. I believe you know our son, my dear, Embry, I believe his name is. But despite all this I do love Sam and Allison, I just wasn't good for them. If you ask me while it may have been the worst thing I could have do for __me__, for them, I probably made the best decision ever. Even for Embry. Do tell Sam this, will you? Tell him about his younger half-brother and tell Embry, I think it's high time he knew, as well. _

_I'm going to be in town for a few weeks so if, and I know it's a low shot, but if Sam does decided to speak to me, I'm staying at the River Inn up in Forks. If he doesn't and he never wants to see me again, I will leave. I would like to see Embry as well but I think he might be even less likely to come see me than Sam. Allison has told me to stay away from her and, though it kills me to do it, I will but she says that Sam's his own man who make his own decisions (well, mistakes were her actual words) in life._

_I'm very glad he has you. I think he's chosen well though I don't really know you but I know you're beautiful, and your kind, and protective and I know you love him. I can already tell Sam is a much better father than I was, he knows exactly what __not__ to do. _

_If he doesn't come to talk to me, I wish you to the best._

_Joshua Uley. _

I lent my head in one of my hands and read the letter through a few more times. This man really did seem genuine and there was so much guilt and admittance in this letter that I was pretty sure that Joshua really did mean all that he wrote. The letter also brought a lot of things to light, Embry's father being the biggest thing. Him and Sam where half-brothers, I wonder how they were going to take that. The reason for Sam's detest of the nickname "Sammy" could now be guessed at.

I sighed heavily and dropped the letter on the table, turning to look out the kitchen window. The boys were still out there. I got up slowly and made my way out the door, leaning against the side of the house and watching them. They didn't look at me probably because they knew who it was until I spoke.

'You two, go get Embry,' I said to Jared and Paul. 'I need to _talk_' - I gave Sam a look telling him to attempt to phase back - 'to my fiancé.'

They gave Sam another look before running off into the woods. I looked over at Sam and disappeared back into the house but only to get him some clothes. I dumped them on the ground where I was standing, smiled at him, and then came back inside. I took my place back up at the kitchen table and began tapping my fingers on the table.

I heard the door creak open.

'You have a brother,' I said bluntly not turning to look at him. 'Well, a half-brother anyway.'

I heard no response and turned around - it was so irritating that the wolves moved so silently. It didn't take long for my eyes to find Sam leaning against a kitchen counter since he was so big, tall with long, rounded muscles. He was surveying me with his dark brown eyes with his arm crossed.

'Have you read this?' I asked him, holding up the letter and he shook his head so I put in back down. 'Sam.'

His name was sighed heavily though with an irritated edge, I got up from my chair and walked over to him wrapping my around his middle. He uncrossed his own arms and took my face in his hands, leaning down to kiss me.

'I love you, you know that?' he said, his deep voice quiet and I smiled up at him - finally he was speaking.

'I'll take it but why am I getting it?' I asked, moving closer so as to be nearer his heat since he had left the door open and a breeze was blowing up my arms. His hands moved to rub them and didn't answer my question.

'What's going on in that head of yours, Sam?' I said detangling myself from him and moving to shut the door. I jumped up on the counter opposite him. 'He still wants to see you. Staying up in Forks for a few weeks but he said, if you tell him to, he will leave. You need to make a decision, Sam. You don't even have to see him, you could just talk to him over the phone… honey, _please_, say something.' - there was a knock on the front door - 'Read the letter, Sam.'

I jumped off the counter and made my way out of the kitchen to the front door, opening it to reveal Embry. I hugged him tightly.

'Hi, Bells,' he chuckled. 'What do you want with me? Should I be frightened?'

I laughed, glad for his light personality after Sam's strange dark one.

'I need to tell you something,' I pulled him into the kitchen where Sam had actually done as I asked and sat down to read the letter. 'You want to tell him, Sam, or should I?'

Sam looked at me for a few seconds, putting the letter down while Embry's eyes jumped between the two of us.

'What's going on?' he asked irritated.

'We found out who your father is?' Sam spoke up and Embry's eyes looked on him, wider than usual. Sam held the letter out. 'Third and fourth paragraph.'

I left Embry's side and went and stood behind Sam, leaning my elbows on his shoulder and resting my head on top of his. His hand rose to grasp mine. We watched as Embry's eyes scanned the paragraphs and then look back up at us.

'I'm related to you,' Embry eventually said and he wrinkled his nose playfully at Sam, without being able to see I knew Sam had rolled his eyes. 'Wow.'

I sent Embry a sympathetic smile as he dropped into another chair and chucked that letter back onto the table.

'I'm going to go check on Elsee,' I told them leaving them to figure out this mess themselves. One thing I was sure of was that this was going to be a long night.


	24. Chapter 24

Sam and Embry decided that together they would go and see Joshua on Wednesday while me and Elsee were at school and on that day I could barely focus on my teaching, hoping the whole time that Sam hadn't exploded and ripped Joshua's face off, Allison I knew was equally as worried since I had dropped in on her last night.

I had another staff meeting that night so Allison had picked up Elsee for me and then I stayed later to catch up on some marking I need to do soon it was late when I finally left. As I walked across the parking lot toward my car, I begged my lucky stars that it would start and that Edward wouldn't suddenly appear. Edward didn't but the rest of family did.

'Haven't you ever heard of calling or inviting someone over when you want to talk to them?' I complained to the family standing in front of me. 'You guys are going to give me a heart attack one of these days. What is keeping you guys here anyway? There are no vampires around, I am not in any danger and Carlisle you said yourself that you cause a lot of damage here. If another kid turns into a wolf I will blame all of you.'

I had learned something from those legends I had heard all those months ago: it was vampire presence nearby that caused the wolves to transform.

'That's completely fair,' Carlisle smiled sadly over at me and I realised I really had changed sides, 'but won't be necessary because we are leaving now. Goodbye, Bella.'

Though I had joked about it and asked the idea of them leaving wasn't a friendly one. I pressed my lips together and looked away, blinking to keep to tears in.

'Where are you going this time?' I asked eventually.

'We're going back East,' Esme said, smiling over at me. 'Back to Chicago, we haven't been there since we found Edward -'

'Bella!' Alice suddenly spoke up. 'Is that an engagement ring?'

My left hand froze where it was brushing a bit of hair behind my ear and I lowered it took look at my ring, smiling softly.

'Yeah, Sam asked me to marry him,' I looked up at her. 'Oh, and, Carlisle, I've been meaning to thank you for the advice on the restraining order - we haven't seen him since so … thank you.'

'I'm glad I could be of some help,' he smiled fatherly back at me but Alice brushed him off.

'Don't change the subject, you two,' she complained. 'You don't tell us anything anymore, Bella!'

'Hey!' I said in defence. 'I thought you'd left.'

'We wouldn't leave without -' Emmett started to say but at my raised eyebrow he stopped: they had left before without saying goodbye.

Alice rolled her golden eyes and danced towards me, taking my hand just like Leah had done. She squealed over how cute it was while I exchanged weary looks with Jasper causing some of the others to laugh. Eventually I was freed and Esme hugged me tightly.

'I'm very proud of you,' she said in my ear and passed me to Carlisle who kissed my hair as he hugged me.

'Congratulations,' he smiled down at me. 'I bet Elsee's over the moon.'

'You can say that again,' I laughed lightly.

After the rest had said something a tense atmosphere fell over the group and I looked at tem warily.

'What?' I asked, hoping this wouldn't be something terrible

'Do you remember what we told you about mates and what happens if someone kills a vampire mates?' Rosalie asked hesitantly.

'Like it was yesterday,' I said - that was why Victoria had come after me. 'Why?'

'Because Laurent had a mate,' Jasper answered and I groaned falling back against my car in defeat.

'Why won't you vampire's leave me be?!' I complained and got a load of looks. 'Not you guys, of course.'

Esme laughed lightly, 'I'm going to take it you remember about the Denali's and how Laurent went and stayed with them? Well, he got very close with Irina, mate-close, they won't attack because of our agreement and friendship with the wolves but we just thought you should be aware.'

I swallowed and nodded.

'Okay, thanks,' I whispered, taking a deep breath to try and control the thoughts swirling around my head. 'Will you guys come back?'

'Sam did give me and Esme permission to set foot of the reservation remember,' Carlisle reminded me and I smiled at him and nodded.

A few more words said and I realised that I really should get back home since Elsee's bedtime was closing in fast.

'I better get home,' I smiled sadly at them. 'Sam's on patrol so Allison, Sam's mom, is watching Elsee. I've got to go get her. Thank you all so much for everything.'

'I'll miss you, Bella,' Alice smiled and came and hugged me.

'Tell Sam we apologise for the smell,' Jasper chuckled in goodbye winking at me because he didn't trust himself any closer and I laughed lightly thinking about how it's probably a good thing that Sam was patrolling.

The rest of the family hugged me again and then there was a breath of wind and they were gone out of my life again leaving no evidence in their wake that they had ever been in the parking lot. I felt heavy as I got back in my car, which started easily, and drove back home but the feeling left as soon as my little girl ran towards me, already starting to tell me everything about her day before she'd even reached me. I sat with Allison for a while and she invited me to one of those bridal shows. I still wasn't amazingly into weddings though at this age I wasn't against them at all, I agreed to go with her for inspiration and some boding time - Allison and I had never been alone, Elsee was always there or Sam.


	25. Chapter 25

'So how'd it go?' I asked Sam when Elsee and I were eating breakfast the next morning and he walked in despite being up for twenty-four hours if not more seeming fine and awake.

'Let's see,' he said walking in the kitchen and kissing Elsee's head before taking a seat next to me. 'I didn't rip his head off … I didn't even phase -'

'Yay!' I said quietly and he chuckled, leaning over to kiss my cheek.

'I still don't like him though,' he finished.

'Well, that wasn't the point was it,' I said, placing the mug of coffee I was about to drink back on the table. 'Do you feel like you've got that closure now?'

Sam seemed to think for a second, 'yeah, yeah, I'm satisfied. It was never anyone's fault but his.'

'Sam,' I sighed, moving around on my chair to face him and placing a hand on his cheek. 'You didn't even consider it being your fault, tell you didn't.'

'I'm not supposed to lie to you right,' he answered and I frowned sadly over at him, leaning forward to rest my forehead against his.

'You silly, silly man,' I whispered affectionately, kissing him before returning to my food. 'Do you want some breakfast?'

'No, I'm just going to go and sleep I think,' he told me getting back up. 'Have a nice day at school, girls.'

I rolled my eyes while Elsee looked up at him and smiled, 'thanks Daddy.'

He smiled at her and was almost at the door when I spoke.

'Oh, Sam,' I called. 'I have something to tell you later.'

'Why not now?' My eyes moved to Elsee and back and he nodded. 'Right, okay.'

Worked ticked by slowly but eventually I was free to leave. Elsee had swimming after school which a minibus took them too so I would have to pick her up for a while. I went home, hoping Sam would already be back at the house: he was.

'So what's wrong, Belle?' Sam asked as I found him in our little office and, since there was only one chair in there, perched on his lap.

'It's nothing big,' I smiled at him. 'It's just that the Cullen's visited my yesterday and told me that Laurent had a mate.' (Sam's whole body tensed.) 'Apparently, it's one of the Denali's so they respect the treaty just as much as the Cullen's do so they don't think she'll attack but they thought I should know, I think you should know, just in case.'

'Yeah,' Sam nodded and thought for a while. 'You sure it's unlikely.'

'Yeah, I am.'

'Okay, I'll trust you on that,' he replied seriously and I smiled.

'So,' I grinned shifting around so I could face him straight on, 'what shall we do until I need to go and pick up Elsee?'

I bit my lip and raised my eyebrows at him and a half grin appeared on his face.

'I can think of something,' he chuckled, standing up but keeping hold off me so feet were dangling of the floor.

I giggled, something that wasn't normal for me in the slightest, and moved my limbs to wrap around him tightly, pulling my body closer to his and closing that final gap between our lips.

'Sam,' I said at dinner looking up at him across the table. 'Your mom and I are going to this wedding thing at the weekend, you're alright watching Elsee, aren't you?'

'Sure,' Sam nodded. 'Where are you two going?'

'Seattle,' I smiled. 'There's this wedding show that she would like to go round with me, thought it might give me some inspiration. Plus it'd nice to have some bonding time with your mom.'

'We'll you two have fun,' Sam chuckled. 'Don't let her talk you into something you don't like.'

I rolled my eyes and smiled back over at him.


	26. Chapter 26

That weekend was the bridal exposé and once I'd said goodbye to my daughter and kissed my fiancé goodbye for the weekend, I picked up Allison and we headed out on the Saturday morning. Allison suggested that I bring my maid of honour but I hadn't decided between Leah or Angela so it was just Allison and I. I had grown so close to Leah over the last few months that it was like we actually were sisters but Angela and I had always been close. I knew that the girls I was going to have were Leah, Angel, Kim, who since she was a wolf-girl too I had spent a lot of time with, and a friend from Arizona - Brooke Fletcher.

The show was held in a hotel and as soon as I walked in I was overwhelmed with the amount of booths, I could see everything from formalwear rental to cake bakers. Allison seemed just as overwhelmed as I did.

'Well, where should we start?' I looked over at her and laughed.

'Who knows,' I replied, shaking my head.

We wondered around for a while before Allison pointed out that there was a fashion show of bridal gowns starting in a few minutes and though I wrinkled my nose she seemed so excited. I could barely let her down when she was so happy so I agreed and eventually we sat down around the cat walk. There were going to be eight dresses on show and I settled myself in my seat and waited for it to pass. However as soon as it started I knew I was going to have to pay close attention so Allison was commenting.

The first dress was a tulle and satin mermaid beaded with pearlized sequins, rhinestones and pearls to enhance the sweetheart neckline accented with flowers. Satin buttons covered the back zipper and complemented the tulle and beaded godets on the skirt with what I was sure was a chapel length train. ( signature_wedding_dresses/9712)

'That's so nice,' Allison smiled, 'but not for you, I don't think.'

The second dress was a little more to my liking, I hadn't like the first one much, but this one was an organza dress with a sweetheart asymmetrically draped drop waist that flowed into an A-line skirt. The neckline was halter neck. Beaded lace and organza petals decorated the hip. There was a flutter of organza on the front of the skirt which turned into a chapel length train again with organza buttons over the zipper. ( sweetheart/6005#sthash. )

'What do you think of that one, Bella?' Allison whispered to me.

'Um … I prefer it over the last one,' I shrugged.

'Yes, I do too,' she agreed and nodded turning back to the show as the third dress was modelled.

This one another mermaid dress and another sweetheart neckline with a tulle and organza skirt, finished with a chapel train and satin buttons. ( wedding_dress/3776)

The fourth dress - sweetheart neckline on a silk metallic, tulle and beaded lace A-line dress which was accented with 3D layered beaded lace appliques. It also had a chapel train and I began to wonder if the theme of the show was sweetheart necklines and chapel trains. ( signature_wedding_dresses/9719)

A lace and tulle neckline on the fifth dress created a jewel collar on the slim A-line gown. Tulle buttons closed the illusion back and the gown, unsurprisingly, ended in a chapel train. ( sweetheart/6013# )

The next one that came out caused a ripple throughout the crowd because it was different from all the others. It was a tea length tulle ball gown with a strapless neckline doing in venice lace and flowers. The dress was accented with a pleated taffeta cummerbund. ( wedding_dress/3720)

And then we were back to our chapel trains and sweetheart necklines. The seventh dress, I was glad to realise, was another ball gown but full length this time made from Soutache and tulle. It had a sabrina illusion neckline, accented with soutache lace at the shoulder. The lace also created a drop waistline with the tulle draping. The back was a v-sheer with tulle buttons or the back zipper. ( sweetheart/6027#sthash. )

'Last dress,' Allison bounced and I smiled over at her: she was so excited.

Another ball gown with a sweetheart neckline and chapel length train. It had a ruched bodice accented by beaded lace appliques. ( wedding_dress/3781)

The crowd stood up and clapped as the dresses made another walk around the catwalk before poising in a line at the end. The music stopped and everyone began leaving so I gathered my stuff and Allison linked her arm with mine as we walked away.

'So did you like any?' she asked, squeezing.

'The last one was quiet nice, really simple,' I replied with anything just to please her.

'It was,' Allison agreed. 'Perhaps that's what we should look for … just somewhere to start?'

She pointed over a wedding dress vendor which was empty at the moment, probably about the only time it would be. There were dresses after dresses on the rack and all I could think about was Alice and her love of playing Bella Barbie. Everyone always said that even if you hate shopping, wedding shopping was fun, so I smiled over at Allison and grinned. She pulled me over there.

_People lie. _I tried on dress after dress and while it was kind of fun to begin with it got old really quickly. Eventually, I stepped out the changing room and Allison gasped.

'That one looked so perfect,' she said softly. 'Go on have a look at it.'

It was A-line and made of satin with a beaded and corded lace bodice that had a modified sweetheart neckline and natural waistline. Over my arms was a tulle and beaded lace 3/4 jacket with a beaded satin waistband and satin button closure. Flowing backwards was a chapel train. ( wedding_dress/3793)

'Wow,' I whispered softly, smoothing it down as Allison rose her camera - she had been taking pictures of the dresses that we liked.

'Wow indeed,' Allison said as she began digging through my purse and pulled out my phone. She snapped a picture of that and then I went to get changed.

Once I was back in my normal clothing, sad because I really loved that dress, I went and sat next to her taking my phone and bag. After a moment's thought and texted the picture to Leah and Angela.

'Are you sure you don't want to just get it?' Allison asked reading my face and love for the dress easily.

'No, I'm sure it's not even in my price range,' I waved off; Sam and I hadn't even set a date let alone anything else.

Allison sighed and showed me the price tag causing me to begin to smile - it was _just _with the budget I had set myself for the dress. My phone buzzed with messages.

'Leah and Angela agree with you,' I laughed, quickly scanning them. 'They think I should get it.'

'How is Leah?' Allison asked and I looked up. 'Is it awkward at all … with you and Sam? I mean, they were pretty serious.'

I tried not to wrinkle my nose at the reminder.

'No, Leah's really happy for us,' I smiled. 'It's not awkward at all for us, I don't know about her and Sam. It's not like they spend time insulting each other, they joke around a lot actually. Sometimes it gets a bit tense but usually it's fine.'

'Well, that's something at least,' Allison replied. 'Any closer to making your decision on your maid of honour?'

'No,' I groaned and Allison laughed, patting my hand.

'Go say you have an interest in that dress.'

I did as I was told. The dress shop actually had multiple stores and there was one in Port Angeles so I wouldn't have to drive up to Seattle. They took my name and address and told me that they would send a dress over to that store. Soon Allison and I left that and continued wondering around, stopping for a while at a chocolate fountain which was letting you eat some.

We looked at so many different things: planners, florist, photographers, bridesmaids and flower girls dress vendors, bakers. I was getting kind of overwhelmed by the time we left but soon we were back at the hotel and I was talking to my little angel.

'Are you being good for you dad?' I asked her playfully and Allison looked over to smile at me.

'Yep, I promise, Daddy and I had loads of fun, we …' and she went off describing her day with Sam: what they did, who they saw, and whole number of other things but eventually I looked at the clock at the same time as I heard Sam's voice in the background.

'Else, I think it's time for bed,' I think his voice said. 'Say goodbye to your mom.'

'Do I have to?' Elsee complained.

'Yes, angel,' I laughed. 'Now, do as your father says, it's bedtime.'

'Fine,' Elsee sighed. 'Goodnight; I love you, Mommy.'

'I love you too, Else, I'll see you tomorrow night for dinner,' I promised her. 'Goodnight.'

'I'll be up in a minute,' Sam's voiced said closer than before and I assumed Elsee had handed the phone over to him. 'Hey, baby.'

'Hi,' I felt a beaming smile slide onto my face at my future husband's deep voice. Sam and I spoke for a little while before I teasingly told him to "go tuck our daughter in" and we hung up. I was still smiling as I turned to put my phone back in my bad and once I had I looked up to see Allison smiling at me. 'What?'

She bit her lip as he smile grew, 'you love my son so much.'

'I wouldn't be marrying him if I didn't,' I brushed it aside and Allison smiled.

'He's so … different since he found you,' she said leaning back on her bed, 'happier. He's always been such a serious boy, you seem to have lightened him and you've given him so much. Your love, your trust, your daughter. He's very lucky to have found you … You know, when we was younger, I believed that no one would be good enough for him but I knew I was wrong the moment I set eyes on you.'

'How?' I asked though my main attention was on trying to control my blush.

'Just the look in both your eyes,' she shrugged. 'It was in the eyes, it always is. You're so good for him, Bella.'


	27. Chapter 27

'Leah?' I called as I walked in the Clearwater house as I now referred to it in my mind. 'Are you home?'

'Yeesh, Bella, you'd think living with Sam you'd realise you didn't have to shout for wolves to hear,' Leah complained as she walked down the stairs towards me.

'Sorry, Leah,' I smiled up at her. 'I want to ask you something.'

'What is it?' Leah asked as we made our way into the kitchen and she set about making us coffee because Leah, I had learned, was addicted to coffee: she would have it whenever it was possible too even if, too everyone else, it seemed strange.

'It's a favour really,' I smiled. 'A big one…'

'Come on, Bells, spit it out,' Leah sighed turning to look at me as she pushed herself up onto the counter while the kettle boiled.

I smiled over her.

'Will you be my maid of honour?' I asked her feeling satisfied when I saw the look of shock on her beautiful, exotic face.

I had decided on Leah because, though we haven't be "sisters" for a long time, the time we had been it's been so good that I decided on her over Angela. Angela was a good friend but Leah was family. Leah probably knew me better know because I could talk to her about the whole wolf thing and vice versa. I hadn't told Sam my decision so he couldn't accidently tell Leah when they were wolves or tell one of the guys who could tell Leah accidently hence why she had no idea I was going to ask her.

Sam and I had finally worked out the people in our wedding. Sam had or was at least going to ask Paul to be best man, who was third-in-command of the pack, and was having Jacob, Jared and Embry as groomsmen. I obviously had Leah then Angela, Kim and Brooke and Elsee was going to be a flower girl, something she was really excited about, with Quil's imprint Claire. It was sorted out meaning that I could get on with planning the wedding. We had also decided on a colour scheme, a strange one but I was sure it would turn out pretty, of cream and yellow with hints of red. We had even got a vague idea of the guest list. This was all done when I could pull Sam away from the pack which was always difficult.

'What?'

I laughed softly, 'will you be my maid of honour, Leah.'

I repeated it just to irritate her and spoke the words like I would trying to explain a complex topic to Elsee. She swatted at me but laughed.

'Sure, Bella,' she grinned. 'I'd love too. Why me?'

'Because being closer to you these past three months has been great,' I told her. 'It's been really nice.'

'It has been good,' Leah agreed as she placed a coffee on the table in front of me and leant down to hug with one arm before sitting opposite me.

We sat and talked while we sipped at our coffees about life: the pack - something both our lives evolved around -, my school, the wedding, Elsee. The interesting thing about being engaged at work was that the students, mainly the girls, were so pleased for you and they asked constant questions about the guy, the proposal and the wedding. It got rather tiring especially when they were meant to be doing work but it was nice at other times.

Once I had left Leah's I spent the rest of the day marking my students homework, which took all day but this was a story they had to write so I entertained enough that it wasn't one of the those horrible tasks that it sometimes was. Elsee was watching TV in the lounge until I called her to come and help with dinner and just before it was ready Sam walked in, kissing my cheek and ruffling Elsee's blonde hair affectionately.

'How was your day?' I asked Sam as we sat down to eat and he turned and smiled at me.

'Better than usual,' he chuckled. 'Leah was in a good mood - that doesn't happen too often - so she was a lot less snarky.'

'Be nice,' I tutted though inside I was glad Leah was happy and not irritating the pack. 'And yeah, that may be because I asked her to be my maid of honour.'

Sam's eyebrows rose in surprise but eventually he smiled, 'well, I think you just made her very happy.'

I smiled softly, glad I could do that at least, 'have you asked the guys yet?'

'I don't need to,' Sam chuckled, tapping his temple and I laughed lightly, shaking my head. I always forgot that the wolves could hear each other because when they were human they couldn't. It was easier to remember that Edward could hear them all the time. 'Elsee, you're still going to Claire's tomorrow, aren't you?'

Elsee and Claire had this thing going now that every Sunday that would go to the others house. Each Sunday it swapped, last week it was our turn to host but this week Elsee was going over there. It was nice that she was getting so close with someone in La Push since she was still going to school in Forks. Sam and I were debating moving her but nothing had been decided.

Her little head bobbed excitedly and a grin appeared on her face, 'yep, it's going to be _so _much fun. Whose taking me?'

Sam and I shared a glance.

'I am, I guess,' Sam smiled over at her before turning to me. 'I've got to go that side of the res. anyway.'

'Okay, that's good for me I need to finish marking those stories,' I jerked my head toward the lounge where I could see, and therefore Sam could see, the corner of the tall pile of books. Sam pulled a face in sympathy for me at the sight of it - even though I had worked since I got back from visiting Leah there was still a daunting amount of books left. I also had reports to write but I had a few weeks to write them.

After Dinner and once I had put Elsee to bed, I didn't go back to work but instead laid beside Sam on the sofa, relishing in the time alone with my fiancé.


	28. Chapter 28

The next month it was Elsee's seventh birthday and she woke Sam and I up early like she had on Christmas to open her presents before she went to school. I groaned as I got up, I hadn't been able to sleep and, when I finally had, Sam came home and fell over one of Elsee's toys outside our door causing him to stumble in the room making a racket and effectively knocking me from the restless sleep I had been in.

Sam pressed a kiss to my temple as we went downstairs together. Elsee was already in the kitchen were her presents were piled up, bouncing on her chair like a jack in the box. I made coffee as Elsee began to open them just to try and wake myself up so I could be a bit attentive to her on her birthday. I turned around when I heard her squeal a thank you to Sam and throw her arms around his neck. I smiled. Sam had brought her a charm bracelet I knew that he was going to add to every birthday, Elsee bounced over to me to show me this years, the first years, charm.

I bent down as she held out a silver object and examined the shape between her thumb and forefinger. Now I was closer I could see it was a little silver four leaf clover - each pair of leaves looking a little like hearts - with a little green gem in the centre and short silver "stem" sticking out the bottom.

'Isn't that beautiful, honey?' I exclaimed for her benefit though I wasn't lying: it really was a beautiful charm. 'Can you get on it on the chain?'

She nodded and I followed her back to the table with two mugs of coffee, dropping into a chair beside Sam, he rested his arm on the back of the chair behind me, and put a mug in front of him as Elsee stuck her tongue out in concentration as she tried to fasten on the little charm to the bracelet. Eventually she managed to get it on just as I was about to offer to help her and held it out and her arms. Knowing what she wanted, I took the bracelet and fastened it, tightly, around her wrist so she wouldn't lose it. She hugged Sam again and kissed his cheek causing him to chuckle before turning back to her other presents. We watched her until she'd finished and once we'd eaten breakfast I spoke.

'Come on, Else, we better get you to school,' I told her standing up.

'But it's my birthday!' Elsee complained. 'Can't I stay home with you and Daddy?'

'You ask me that every year, Elsee, and every year I say no,' I told her sternly. 'Besides Daddy and I are going to work. Go on and go get ready.'

'Fine,' Elsee sighed and left leaving me gapping after her until Sam chuckled and he rubbed my back.

'She's just growing up,' he said comfortingly and I sunk back in my chair beside him.

'Why?' I moaned wishing that my little girl could stay just that: little… and sweet and innocent.

'Because that's how life works, baby' Sam chuckled into the hair that covered my ear and I shivered at having his lips so close.

I turned and captured his lips with mine. Another good thing about Elsee spending every other Saturday at Claire's was that Sam and I finally got time alone though we sometimes got that on a Thursday when Elsee went swimming. Our lips moved together without thought completely in sink and sending thrills through my body. Sam's warm hands moved, one to cup my cheek and the other resting on the small of my back, pulling me towards him slightly. We only pulled apart when Sam must have heard Elsee's light footsteps exit her room.

Luckily I was already dressed, having gotten ready after Elsee's opened her presents and before making breakfasts, so after I gave another kiss to Sam we were out of the door.

'Happy Birthday, Princess,' Sam called as we left the kitchen.

'Thanks, Daddy!'

I dropped Elsee of at school with a tub of sweets to share with her class - because apparently that's what they did on birthdays at primary school - and then drove to work myself only to find a very wet Joshua. I sighed heavily as I opened my umbrella and step out the car.

'What happened to staying away?' I called to him as he walked towards me. 'And why didn't you just wait inside the school?'

'Because I thought you might like some help bringing stuff in,' Joshua only responded to my second question now in civil hearing range as he eyed the pile of sheets in my arms.

I hesitated.

'Well, that would be very helpful, thank you,' I said and he came a bit closer.

He carried the majority of my stuff to my classroom for me which gladly saved me from multiple trips in the rain but then stood there awkwardly as I took the chairs down in the classroom and began setting up for my homeroom.

'What are you doing here, Joshua?' I asked finally looking at him again once I had finished.

'Not much,' he said coming to lean on the desk in front of mine.

My classroom was laid out with three columns of five, the door was about level with the third row and my desk centred in front of all the desks. Joshua leaned against the front desk of the middle column.

'I'll be gone out your hair for good in a few minutes,' he promised. 'I just wanted to thank you for at least getting Sam and Embry to hear me out - they still want me to leave and I accept that, I more than deserve it - but I just need to thank you and see you again. Sam did well.' (I could feel myself blushing) 'I'd also thought I'd pass along a "Happy Birthday" for Elsee to you -'

'How do you-?' I began to ask.

'Sam mentioned both her and her birthday without meaning to,' Joshua shrugged and I shook my head at my fiancé.

'You came all the way here to tell me that?' I questioned, not entirely convinced.

'Yes,' Joshua said with blatant honest in his voice. 'I was on my way out of town when I saw the school… well goodbye, Isabella, I wish you and my son every happiness.'

I forced a smile onto my face, 'thank you, goodbye, Joshua.'

He nodded his head and left the classroom without another word and I looked at the door as it clicked shut. That man confused me so much, he seemed so kind and genuine but I got a horrible feeling everything he spoke there was something unspoken, something bad, lingering under the nice things he was saying.


	29. Chapter 29

And three months after that was our wedding day. Brooke had arrived this morning - she was due to arrive earlier but things came up and yada yada she ended up a few days later than planned - so now me, my bridesmaids, Elsee and Claire were in my house (Sam had cleared off to Paul's) getting ready for the day ahead. Well actually, we were all done know and slipping our shoes on.

All of my bridesmaids (Leah, Angela, Kim and Brooke) were wearing a knee length dress with a tulle underskirt that swung with every step they took. It had a structured bodice which featured stunning ruching detail that, according to the sales woman, defined a feminine figure. The dresses were strapless with a concealed zip and they were all wearing white heels. The only difference between Leah and the rest of them was that she was wearing a cream dress while the others were in yellow.

I had brought that dress that Allison and I had seen at the Bridal Exposé which I had paired with white heels and a veil which matched it perfectly. My hair was half up and half down which the slower section flowing over my shoulders however the curls were tighter than usual more like Elsee's.

Thinking of her, I looked over at my angel who was spinning around with Claire dressed in a pretty A-line dress with stripping. It was a darker yellow than the bridesmaids dress with dainty spaghetti straps and straight neckline, which had a cream stripe running parallel to it for effect. The skirt, was flared and floor length. The two girls hair was the same as mine but clasped around the hair band was a hair comb with three bloomed lilies in cream and cascading from it was ribbon with small flower accents.

We made our way to the beach, luckily the weather had held enough that it was perfect for a wedding, where we were met by Seth and the groomsmen - Sam and Paul were already done the end (or at least, I hoped they were). We spent a few minutes getting ready before Leah nipped into view and waved her hand. She hurried back and handed Elsee and Claire two white wicker baskets that had cream Calla Lilies accented with small red flowers and even smaller yellow ones. The music began to play and I took a deep breath before smiling widely at my daughter and gesturing her away. The two of them then disappeared out of view to spread cream petals on the walkway we had made.

I hurried of the find Embry and pushed him toward Brooke but instead of linking arms with her when she turned from taking her bouquet from Leah he froze staring at her. Seth, Jacob and Jared, appropriately enough, wolf whistled but before they even did that I knew what had happened: Embry had imprinted. Kim and I shared a knowing glance - we knew that look. Brooke blushed slightly and soon Embry held out his arm. She took it without a moment's thought and they disappeared as well leaving me grinning and shaking my head fondly.

Jared chuckled as he walked over to his own imprint and offered her his arm, grinning widely. Kim giggled, took his arm and the offered bouquet from Leah and the two of them went as well. I looked at Angela, who looked thoroughly confused as to the proceedings - she always was too perceptive, she knew there was something going on that wasn't just as it seemed - but it was her turn to go with Jacob so they went on her way. Leaving me, Leah and Seth.

Leah picked up the final bouquet, a hand tied arrangement that was packed tight with red rose buds and cream calla lilies which was beautiful and classic, and then handed me mine. She gave me a fond smile as the music changed every so slightly and then did something so unlike herself - she kissed my cheek and walked away to go down the aisle. Seth rolled his eyes next to me, dressed in matching clothes to the groomsmen which were white dress shirts with cream waistcoats, trousers and ties. Attached to his suit was a red bud and a white Calla Lilly with berry fillers, the short stems wrapped in yellow.

He offered me his arm because, like the perfect brother he was, he was giving me away. I smiled up at my younger step-brother and took it as once again the music changed and we began to make our way forward. I clutched the stems of my cascading bouquet tightly, which was elegant and full. It was made with cream Roses, small Calla Lilies and bloomed Lilies with red roses as accents.

My eyes scanned the crowd as we stepped into view and everyone gasped. I could see friends and residents of La Push nearer the back, close friends who had made the journey from Arizona closer, Billy and his two daughters who had been visiting anyway, I could see Brooke's family and Quil's along with Embry's mother. Soon enough I could see Sue and Allison but by then my eyes were more interested in Sam, smiling widely at me from the alter. Seth and I stopped just in front of the first row of chairs and his kissed my cheek. I made the rest of the way up to Sam alone.

The ceremony paced with a hitch, I managed to say "I do" at the right time even though I was locked in Sam's gaze for the most part of the ceremony. The new ring felt heavy and yet feather light on my finger as I locked my hands behind Sam's neck when we kissed, sealing our marriage. I knew everyone was clapping but I could barely hear it - my focus was on Sam and Sam alone. We pulled apart though before we made people uncomfortable. The clapping reached me as we did so and we turned to face them. Everyone was on their feet, wide smiles gracing their faces and for a moment I was completely happy before I felt Sam's arm shake slightly around my waist. I placed my own over his waist and pressed my cheek against his shoulder while I was really scanning for what was wrong.

I saw it as I took my bouquet of Leah but before Sam and I began to move. Joshua. My eyes flittered shut but Sam's arm pulling me forward made me smile brightly again as we took our leave. Silently, though, I beg Sam not to let this ruin our wedding day.

'Congratulations,' Joshua smiled his eyes flickering between the two of us, we both glared - Sam in dislike and me in suspicion. 'Isabella, you look beautiful.'

Sam's face softened for an instance as he looked down at me, a soft smile playing on his lips, 'that I, sadly, have to agree with.'

Then without another word to him, Sam pulled me any from his father and we continued over and out of the way so our guests could gather in the tent we had set up before we entered.

'Well done,' I told him smiling up at him. 'At least you don't phase at the sight of him anymore.'

Sam gave me one of his looks - are you really thinking that now? - and leaned down, cupping my cheek, to press a kiss to my lips which quickly made me forget all about Joshua's uninvited appearance. That is until our DJ's voice announced for us to come in.

'So for the first time anywhere,' his voice boomed. 'I would like to introduce Mr and Mr Sam Uley...'

Sam and I pulled apart before walking in to a round of applause, both my hands around Sam's arm, a large grin permanent of my face. We walked straight past our guests onto the dance floor just in time for the music to start.

'… and now it's time for their first dance.'

Sam swept me into his warm arms and easily led us in our slow first dance as a married couple. I wasn't clumsy or unsure, I didn't even have to think. I just looked into Sam's eyes and somehow managed to move so gracefully that I was surprised. Eventually, about half way through, the bridesmaids and groomsmen joined us and I was glad some of the attention was off Sam and I, even if it was just a little.

'We did it,' I grinned up at him.

'Yes, we did,' he smiled down at me in return, lowering his head to kiss me again though this time it had the background noise of whistling, whooping and cheering.

Soon that dance finished and we headed to dinner with speeches and then eventually photos before the dance floor opened back up, starting with Sam and Allison and, since Seth had given me away, me and my little step-brother. The dance floor then filled up with everyone else and I took a chance to rest my feet from the heels I was wearing and to look around at all my friends and family, dress probably the best I would ever see them until another wedding.

I heard a giggle and turned to see Elsee and Sam. He had hold of her hands and she was standing on his feet as he danced them around. As I watched he picked her up and span them around before placing her back on the floor. I had never seen such a wide smile on Elsee's face, Sam's face was also lit up with his eyes shining with love for our daughter.

'They look like they're having fun,' Allison's voice said from behind me and I turned to look at her but she was smiling wishfully at Sam. 'I remember when Sam was that small …'

'Aw, Allison.' I tried not to laugh. 'You're not going all sentimental on us, are you? I thought you said you didn't want to, and wouldn't, be one of those crying mothers.

'I'm not,' she said firmly but her voice wavered. 'I just … you've given him everything he wanted. He always wanted kids for two reasons: one, he wanted to be a father but there was also another reason, he wanted to prove he wasn't Joshua, that he would stick with his family through thick and thin … and I think he's done quite well in proving that already.'

I turned back to my husband - a jolt of the stomach at the thought - and daughter and smiled softly.

'He's nothing like Joshua,' I said, 'and he's done amazingly in proving it.'

Sam looked up at that moment as he spun Elsee, who was off his feet at the second, under his arm and grinned widely at me. I blew him a kiss and my smile widened as I noticed the photographer behind him getting evidence of the scene to always be remembered. I danced with most of the pack during the course of the evening and even with Sam's uncle, Joshua's brother who was still around, at least once.

What really made my evening though was Carlisle and Esme appearing in the corner of the room seemingly from nowhere.

'Congratulations, Bella!' Esme beamed, squeezing me tightly but then was distracted by Elsee running over with the surprising yell of "Grandma!"

All three of us blanched in shock but eventually I smiled over at Esme and nodded that it was all fine before stealing her husband off for a dance. Carlisle was just as easy to dance with as Sam, simple because he could dance and was easy to follow, there was also the fact that we didn't move all that much. I rested my forehead against his shoulder, breathing in his familiar sweet but fatherly scent that would irritate Sam later. Charlie may have been my father and I loved him but Carlisle was always going to be father figure. I just hoped Elsee and I don't get too attached because I knew he and Esme couldn't stay.

'Why is it you always have the most impeccable timing?' I asked him only half joking - he always seemed to appear just when I was thinking of him or needed some help, or, in a different way, when it was safest for him (right now, there was hardly anyone who would recognise him at a glance in the tent: either outside looking at the stars or down at the beach toasting marshmallows - that's were Sam was right now.).

'Talent,' he chuckled, 'and observation. I am proud of you, Bella, you've done well.'

I looked up at his honest golden eyes wondering if he knew exactly how I felt about him but knowing I couldn't tell him for fear of getting attached to him but it seemed he knew me too well.

'Just because you didn't marry Edward, does not mean I don't still think of you as my daughter,' he told me sternly but smiling that same smile down at me as he always had for as long as I'd known him which granted wasn't really that long, just a snippet in how long he'd been alive. 'For as long as I'm alive I will always think of you that way.'

I felt my eyes begin to sting and we stopped dancing, allowing me to easily wrap my arms around him in a tight, for a human, hug. I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my head in the crock of his neck.

'Thank you,' I whispered. 'You always have felt like a father to me … I love you.'

I felt him smile and kiss my hair, 'you too, sweetheart.'

Half an hour later, Sam returned and, after I threw my bouquet - Leah catching it with the most surprised expression on her beautiful face -, we began to get ready to leave for our honeymoon. Elsee was staying with Sue, Seth and Leah so we didn't have to worry about that and Jacob, as the Beta in Sam's pack, was able to command the pack while we were gone. This would be the first time that Sam and I had more than twenty four hours alone together and usually that was always interrupted by something or other.

I went back to the house to remove my wedding dress and surprisingly Esme accompanied me.

'Esme?' I asked as I pulled on my shoes. 'Do you want to know something?'

'Depends what it is,' she smiled over at me, perching on mine and Sam's bed. I moved to sit next to her.

'Elsee,' I said. 'I named her that because it reminded me of your name. Esme, Elsee, they're kind of similar. I just wanted to tell you that I had always and will always think of you as my mother -'

'But Renee -'

'Was more of a friend or even more honestly a child,' I told her smiling. 'I love you. I just wanted to tell you why I was okay with what Elsee said.'

Esme looked like she was going to cry if she could but she shook it off, 'oh, come on, your husband's waiting for you, Mrs Uley.'

'Mrs Uley,' I said in a sing-song voice and wide grin on my face, giggling as soon as finished causing Esme to smile and shake her head.

'Let's go,' she laughed pulling me to my feet.

Once Sam and I had said goodbye to everyone and made our way through an aisle created by the guests as they chucked who knows what over us. I laughed and hid besides Sam large figure as much as possible but loads ended up in my hair anyway. Sam's car was at the end but we didn't get in it right away. I knelt down and Elsee ran straight into my arms; I managed to pull her into my arms and Sam appeared at my side, one hand around my waist and the other at Elsee's hair.

'We'll be back in two weeks, Else,' I told her, bouncing slightly as I tried to pull her more securely in my arms.

'Aren't you looking forward to staying with your Uncle Seth and Aunt Leah, Princess?' Sam asked as Elsee looked over at the mention people who gave her said expressions.

'Yes,' Elsee smiled, 'but I don't want you to go.'

'We'll be back, Elsee,' I promised her, placing her back on the ground. 'I promise. Two weeks, that's it.'

'You won't even have time to miss us,' Sam added.

Slowly, she began to nod sadly. We both hugged her and eventually got into the car to begin the drive up to La Push to our honeymoon. We were driving through Forks when I saw it. A little girl, who must only be five, sitting outside her house and, even over the car engine, I could hear yelling inside her house. She looked up as we passed, staring in awe and I managed to chuck my veil just a few paces away from her feet. I couldn't see her face but Sam, looking in the mirror, could.

'I think you just made her day,' he chuckled, wrapping an arm around me while he drove and I snugged into his side since the front of his fancy car was just like a sofa though a lot less comfortable.


	30. Chapter 30

Two years later, August 2014, and I was still just as happy, everything was just as perfect. Elsee was now nine, going to be starting 4th grade at the La Push Elementary School in a few weeks and since the wedding Sam and I had two other children. Carla and Logan, fraternal twins, born in February so they were only six months old.

They both had the russet skin but it was much lighter and big brown eyes. Logan had inherited by brown hair while Carla Sam's black but both of theirs was thick and wavy like mine. Carla's eyes were a bit lighter than Logan's, more chocolate, so really she had my eyes while Logan had Sam's but they were the two most darling children in the world. Elsee when she was their age had been a complete nightmare and, though these two refused to sleep through the night, they were normally perfectly behaved. When they were born, Leah had brought me a necklace with three hearts on. In the centre heart, there was a green stone to represent Elsee and on the other two purple ones for the twins - it was a piece of jewellery that I never took off, just like Elsee never took off her charm bracelet that now had two more charms on (Sam had kept his promise like I knew he would).

The pack was the same as always apart from the fact that a few days after our wedding, Paul had met Jacob's sister Rachel and imprinted on her. Jake hadn't been happy about it, I had had to deal with a rant about it when Sam and I got back from our honeymoon.

What was even better was that Chris had never been seen again and nor had Joshua or any vampires except Carlisle and Esme who had come four months ago to see the twins and been taken with them immediately. As much as I loved them visiting, I was always scared that they would cause more Quileute boys to turn - my kitchen was full enough with Elsee, Sam, the twins and the already largest pack in history - but their infrequent visits didn't seem to have an affect so far and they had told me they would only come if there was something big or I called them to try and keep their affect to the minimum.

The calm was broken by the sound of crying and I jolted awake that little bit more.

'Sam,' I said tiredly. 'Sam, can you get them?'

There was no answer and reaching over to his area of the bed I couldn't find him and I couldn't feel his warmth radiating as it always did. I switched the lamp on that sat on my bedside table and turned to look at the bed: he wasn't there. The baby was still crying so I got up, grabbing my robe and shoving my feet into the slippers I kept at the edge of the bed.

I ghosted over the landing to the bedroom and found Sam.

'Logan?' I asked - it had been Logan for the past few nights.

'Carla,' Sam answered his voice weary. Even though he could run on less sleep than the average person, this nightly wakeup call was wearing on him as much as me.

'But she's been sleeping so well,' I complained.

'I think they tag on,' Sam said. 'That way they get their sleep, unlike us.'

I snorted, that sounded about right. I disappeared for a few seconds and got a bottle ready and went back upstairs. I took Logan off Sam who flopped into a chair, groaning and rubbing his face.

'It'll get better,' I assured him amused.

'We said that months ago,' Sam replied exasperatedly.

'Sam, we have a nine year old daughter hopefully still sleeping in the other room,' I reminded him that I had done this before, 'it'll get better, trust me and then we'll get to sleep I promise.'

I was smiling softly and placed a kiss to his lips, when I pulled away I noticed Logan had stopped crying and I stood straight again beaming but just as I mouthed "yes" another set of cry's started up: Carla. Sam groaned again.

'I got it,' I told him, placing Logan in his crib and moving over to Carla. Sam fell sideways on the sofa that we had in there and I resisted the urge to laugh. 'Go to bed, honey, you've got a pack to command.'

'You sure?' he asked, opening an eye to look at me.

'Yeah, go on, I got this,' I assured him just because I couldn't stand to see him so tired - I was reasonably awake now anyway.

Sam pushed himself up and placed a kiss to my cheek before leaving the room for our bedroom.

I smiled softly, that was one thing about Sam that I loved. Though we had now been married two years, he was still just the same as he was when we were dating: he would kiss me when he left for work every day and take advantage of any alone time we had whether that was by sitting on the sofa in silence, in our room, or talking away. Nothing had really changed. I felt like I had the perfect little family unit.

Last year, just after Easter, Sam did adopted Elsee though it took that long since our wedding to get all the technicalities to do it sorted out: the main thorn in the way having been Chris. Eventually, he did sign over the last of his paternal rights to Sam and we changed Elsee's surname to "Swan-Uley".

It felt like hours before Carla stopped crying and I got to slip back in bed beside my husband, becoming enclosed in his arms and warmth, which in the dark and calm always made me sleepy. I was back asleep in the next minutes, snugged up to my warm wolf and so happy in my life. When I was younger I never would have imagined my life like this but now I wouldn't have any other way, even if I didn't get enough sleep on a nightly basis.


End file.
